2023: My Thoughts
RESOLUTIONS
This new year, I opted to renounce making “resolutions.”
Too often, these have led to “have to’s, which lead to “shoulds,” which lead to guilt if not fulfilled.
Instead, for 2023, I decided to focus on several ongoing creative and income-generating projects—a mystery novel, a how-to book, an online course, and freelance articles.
When I held fulltime jobs, I dreamt of these days when I could devote 100 percent of my time to writing.
Once I was no longer part of the workforce, I had the luxury of orchestrating my days however I chose.
Ironically, I structured my days according to the “9-5” model, which left me feeling locked in and less free; hence, I have been experimenting with writing schedules, which will allow me to handle multiple projects and enjoy the creative process.
At the end of this year, the barometer of my success will be how much fun I had writ and creating.
POLITICS
Reading the headlines, America seems to be a hot mess.
We’ve endured inflation, mass shootings, police violence, racial polarization, a contentious Congress, natural disasters, and threatened cuts to social security and social welfare programs.
The Anxiety and Depression Association reports that anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness affecting 40 million adults ages 18 and older every year. (Not surprising, considering the real and imagined threats to one’s sense of wellbeing.)
Senator Bernie Sanders (D-VT) writes in the September issue of The Guardian, "In the year 2022, three multibillionaires own more wealth than the bottom half of American society . . . (while) half of our people live paycheck to paycheck . . .” (Probably won’t change because powerful and wealthy elites have no desire to legislate change.)
For January 2023, the Gun Violence Archive website documented 41mass shootings in12 states and the District of Columbia. (Americans now fear that no public space—church, synagogue, supermarket, nightclub or workplace—is safe.)
Perhaps some encouraging news will counteract the bad news:
Twenty years ago, clean sources (like solar and wind energy) provided about 8% of U.S. power. This year, they accounted for a record: more than 38%!
CBS News reports, “ . . . 2022 was a great year for good news! . . . like gas prices dropping 37% since summer, or the biggest climate bill in history, or NASA deflecting an asteroid's path seven million miles away.
When catastrophic disasters—storms, wildfires, tornadoes, severe weather, or flooding—hit many states, including California, Georgia, Alabama, Florida, and Oklahoma, Americans are generous with aid, supplies, and manpower to help devastated communities rebuild.
As for the future of the government, take heart.
Despite the polarizing rhetoric of high-profile politicians, millions of unsung federal, state, and municipal workers strive daily to keep our institutions working.
That said, Happy 2023!
© 2023 Wista Johnson (Reprint by permission only.)