New Year 2022
01/01/22 02:02
Our town has an annual polar plunge and it is set for noon today. I’m a new resident, so I don’t know how many people they expect or the exact parameters of participation. I think the plunge is open to anyone who wants to participate. After all, the beach is public and there is no law preventing people from taking a dip in the ocean any time they want. I haven’t however, observed any swimmers in the water here. We close on our house here in October, after the warmest days of summer were past, and we’ve been content to walk on the beach. I haven’t even waded into the surf yet.
I’m not opposed to the idea of a polar plunge. As far as I know, my body would take the short dip into cold water just fine. I’ve walked barefoot for short distances in the snow. When I was a bit younger, I’ve even rolled in the snow in my swimming suit after sitting in a hot springs pool before returning to the pool to warm up. It is pretty easy to make the case that this is the year to take the plunge simply because we have lots of snow on the ground. The snow has settled, but it is at least six inches deep down by the beach. There is a foot or more in the ditches and behind some of the driftwood logs on the beach. That amount of snow is very rare around here. Locals say that a white Christmas or a white New Year’s just doesn’t happen very often and this year, we’ve had both. Dipping into the ocean on a snowy day seems like a pretty rare photo opportunity.
On the other hand, I spent a considerable sum on a prime rib roast for New Year’s Day Dinner and we’ve planned to eat in the early afternoon. The meal needs to be carefully tended to make sure that everything is just right. My sister is visiting us and my brother will be in Bellingham, which is just a 20-minute drive away and the opportunity for the three of us to get together is pretty rare. My day is already filled up. I hadn’t planned on taking the plunge and just taking time to go down to the beach and take the dip takes time that I don’t have.
More importantly, I’ve said to justify myself, polar plunges aren’t limited to a particular age group. I’ve seen pictures of 80-year-olds taking a polar plunge. There is no news in someone my age doing it. That means that I likely have many more years available to me to take the plunge. Despite the uniqueness of the snowy year, there will be other opportunities.
So, I’m not planning to take the plunge today unless some unforeseen event changes my mind. I’m not receiving pressure from other family members who are eager to have me join them. No one else has even talked about taking the plunge.
I’m not really feeling the need to do much to mark the passage from on year to the next. 2021 was a year of challenges. We had some good things, like getting called to a new position and moving into a new-to-us house. We’ve enjoyed being close to our grandchildren and celebrated with them their return to school after a year of home schooling. We’ve watched our son’s balancing of home life and work and considerable achievements in both aspects of his life. We had a wonderful cross country trip and got to spend some valuable time with our daughter and her family. We’ve enjoyed excellent health and have walked every day. There have been years when more events occurred in our lives, but 2021 had enough to distinguish it from the other years of our lives.
I’m looking forward to 2022, but I don’t have any expectations that the year will pass without significant challenges. Despite my wish that the pandemic would come to an end and that we could return to the way things were before Covid-19, I know that it will not magically go away. We will have to live with the possibility of illness every year of our lives. We will need to make decisions and to accept that some members of our community will make different decisions than we. We will have to balance risk and reward and exercise diligence so that we don’t endanger others. I’m pretty sure that there will be places where we wear face masks a year from now and that face masks will be a part of our lives for years to come. Sadly, I fear that there will be more death and loss as this particular pandemic plays out and that there are other pandemics that will follow.
Global climate change will not go away suddenly. We will read about floods and fires and hurricanes and tornadoes and other natural disasters. Some of those events will have a direct impact on our lives.
There will be enough tragic news that our capacity to live in hope will be challenged.
Still, 2022 will be a year of meaning for us.
Not long ago, back in 2019, Susan had a major medical event. She had a reaction to a medicine that was being given to address atrial fibrillation. Her heart stopped. Fortunately she was in the hospital where the response was quick and effective. Though she arrested a second time before they stabilized her and she spent a day on a ventilator in the ICU, she recovered from the event. A surgical procedure provided what she needed to go forward without lasting disability. There was a time, in the midst of all of that, when I would have gladly traded everything I had for just a little more time with her. I got my wish. She is here and healthy and we are together. Every day since that event has seemed like I have gotten a bonus. The days of this year are no different. Each is precious because we have each other.
Happy New Year is more than a one-day greeting for me. It is an expression of the joy that we have been given. I pray that you will find that joy as well in the year to come.
I’m not opposed to the idea of a polar plunge. As far as I know, my body would take the short dip into cold water just fine. I’ve walked barefoot for short distances in the snow. When I was a bit younger, I’ve even rolled in the snow in my swimming suit after sitting in a hot springs pool before returning to the pool to warm up. It is pretty easy to make the case that this is the year to take the plunge simply because we have lots of snow on the ground. The snow has settled, but it is at least six inches deep down by the beach. There is a foot or more in the ditches and behind some of the driftwood logs on the beach. That amount of snow is very rare around here. Locals say that a white Christmas or a white New Year’s just doesn’t happen very often and this year, we’ve had both. Dipping into the ocean on a snowy day seems like a pretty rare photo opportunity.
On the other hand, I spent a considerable sum on a prime rib roast for New Year’s Day Dinner and we’ve planned to eat in the early afternoon. The meal needs to be carefully tended to make sure that everything is just right. My sister is visiting us and my brother will be in Bellingham, which is just a 20-minute drive away and the opportunity for the three of us to get together is pretty rare. My day is already filled up. I hadn’t planned on taking the plunge and just taking time to go down to the beach and take the dip takes time that I don’t have.
More importantly, I’ve said to justify myself, polar plunges aren’t limited to a particular age group. I’ve seen pictures of 80-year-olds taking a polar plunge. There is no news in someone my age doing it. That means that I likely have many more years available to me to take the plunge. Despite the uniqueness of the snowy year, there will be other opportunities.
So, I’m not planning to take the plunge today unless some unforeseen event changes my mind. I’m not receiving pressure from other family members who are eager to have me join them. No one else has even talked about taking the plunge.
I’m not really feeling the need to do much to mark the passage from on year to the next. 2021 was a year of challenges. We had some good things, like getting called to a new position and moving into a new-to-us house. We’ve enjoyed being close to our grandchildren and celebrated with them their return to school after a year of home schooling. We’ve watched our son’s balancing of home life and work and considerable achievements in both aspects of his life. We had a wonderful cross country trip and got to spend some valuable time with our daughter and her family. We’ve enjoyed excellent health and have walked every day. There have been years when more events occurred in our lives, but 2021 had enough to distinguish it from the other years of our lives.
I’m looking forward to 2022, but I don’t have any expectations that the year will pass without significant challenges. Despite my wish that the pandemic would come to an end and that we could return to the way things were before Covid-19, I know that it will not magically go away. We will have to live with the possibility of illness every year of our lives. We will need to make decisions and to accept that some members of our community will make different decisions than we. We will have to balance risk and reward and exercise diligence so that we don’t endanger others. I’m pretty sure that there will be places where we wear face masks a year from now and that face masks will be a part of our lives for years to come. Sadly, I fear that there will be more death and loss as this particular pandemic plays out and that there are other pandemics that will follow.
Global climate change will not go away suddenly. We will read about floods and fires and hurricanes and tornadoes and other natural disasters. Some of those events will have a direct impact on our lives.
There will be enough tragic news that our capacity to live in hope will be challenged.
Still, 2022 will be a year of meaning for us.
Not long ago, back in 2019, Susan had a major medical event. She had a reaction to a medicine that was being given to address atrial fibrillation. Her heart stopped. Fortunately she was in the hospital where the response was quick and effective. Though she arrested a second time before they stabilized her and she spent a day on a ventilator in the ICU, she recovered from the event. A surgical procedure provided what she needed to go forward without lasting disability. There was a time, in the midst of all of that, when I would have gladly traded everything I had for just a little more time with her. I got my wish. She is here and healthy and we are together. Every day since that event has seemed like I have gotten a bonus. The days of this year are no different. Each is precious because we have each other.
Happy New Year is more than a one-day greeting for me. It is an expression of the joy that we have been given. I pray that you will find that joy as well in the year to come.
