As 2021 nears its end, I wanted to take a look back and reflect on what has happened over the last twelve months, both good and bad.
- 2021 started with shenanigans in Washington, DC. And the fall-out from this is still with us and on the nightly news regularly. It’s like a bad cold that just won’t go away.
- Mass shootings/killings once again dominated the news…a trend that shows no signs of abating any time soon.
- My family became fully vaccinated by the middle of the summer, although in my case it was sooner than that because I work in a hospital.
- The year saw my daughter graduate from high school and transition into becoming a freshman at college. This was a big step for her, but a bit stressful for the wife. Quite frankly the child handled it better than the mother.
- Once again, I had to cancel my international travel plans due to Covid lockdowns. Sooner or later, I will get back to Italy. This makes two years in a row.
- I received another honorable mention for a short story submission to the Writers of the Future contest. This makes four…and yet I can never seem to cross the threshold into “winner” territory…:)
- My Keratoconus progressed far enough that I am now scheduled for a cornea replacement in my right eye (Jan 3rd).
- And despite difficulties along the way I managed to meet my goal of getting the entire Alexander Matthews Chronicles trilogy published and for sale on Amazon before the end of the year.
As you can see, 2021 was a bit of a mixed bag. I try to focus on the good that happened, but if I’m being honest with myself that doesn’t suit me very well. I’m more of a “glass half-filled” kind of guy. Bah, who am I trying to kid, not only is the glass half-full, but it also has a ginormous leak in the side.
Hopefully next year will be better, but I’m not going to hold my breath. The Omicron variant already shows signs of interrupting, if not halting completely, my travel plans once again. This shit is seriously chapping my ass. Ah well, c’est la vie….
