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Goodbye 2021, Hello 2022

by Judy Richardson | Published January 4, 2022

Goodbye 2021, Hello 2022

I have not posted on my website for a bit. The holiday times are some how stressful even though we can manage to enjoy them.  I am very happy to say farewell to 2021.  I think the pandemic and learning to live alone have added to the holiday stress.  Some brave soul posted a Facebook question asking which year was the worse?  2020 or 2021.  I have to admit I think things were a little better in 2021, but we are far from seeing the end of the Covid crisis in our country.  I have had my three vaccinations, but still feel uneasy about going places without a mask. My hands continue to be raw from disinfectant, but I have tried to keep this practice up.

So now we face the coming year hoping it will be better for our country and the rest of the world.  To members of my family and close friends I express my gratitude for your love and support. If there is one good consequence of the pandemic it is that we all are realizing how important family is.  Even if friends and family are far away, technology enables us to keep in touch and we are doing this more often.

Every day I send a text to friends and loved ones. It has become part of my daily routine. It may just be a quick note or a funny picture.  I try to share what is going on in my life, even if it is just to gripe about the weather. Texting, facetime, and email bring our lives together, if only for a minute or two.  Before the pandemic, this was not the case for me.  It is sometimes amazing that I can watch my grandson play with his Christmas present or see my son and his wife cooking in their kitchen and they are nearly 1000 miles away. 

So 2022 will continue to bring me closer than ever to family and friends.  Of course, I miss the hugs. I am thankful to have my dog, Lucy, to cuddle and my cat, Desi, to pet. They are a comfort and a blessing. I have a daughter who lives near by. She and her husband are very good to me.

You might wonder if I have made any New Years resolutions. One I will share is to keep adding to my website more often.  While I am not sure many are reading what I write, I still feel like writing about what I am thinking. If nothing else, writing helps me rediscover good memories, and as we grow older, these are fun to share.

What keeps me going is the desire to continue to learn. So 2022 will be a year of discovery of new ideas and honing my drawing skills. I love to sketch and draw. 

One of my favorite thoughts is: Learn as though you are going to live forever. Learning keeps me young.

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2 Comments


  1. David Hudson says:

    I stumbled upon your website while I was searching for any news about Dr. Jane. You look great for being almost 80! I read many of your posts here. My wife and I are fulltime caregivers to our adult son. We are 18 years post-injury and face an unchanging future. I started a blog because I too love to write. I posted the website if you’re interested. Our WmPenn days seem like an eternity ago. I will be 65 this July. I don’t want to think that I’m getting old!!! I’d love to hear from you if you find the time.

    • Judy Richardson says:

      David,
      My husband, C.H. Wendel, had a stroke about a year after we married and he was basically quadriplegic for the next 8 years of our marriage. I was his total caretaker, and sometimes I wonder how I ever did it. You just learn to do what you have to do. I just published a little poetry book on Amazon. I am trying to keep busy writing and doing some drawing. The book is -The Poetry Lovers Companion. you can see it on Amazon. I’ll bet we could share some caretaking stories. Dr. Judy