I am participating in Writer’s Quote Wednesday (WQW) or it’ll be known as Wednesday Quotes in the new year. This week’s prompt: to reflect on the year 2022.

I was at my final dietitian counseling session of 2022 on Wednesday. We had a good discussion on many things – the effect on the recent changes to my diet in related to my health, mental health, physical activities amount, etc. Near the end of the session, as my dietitian was typing up my goals for the next 3 months, I suddenly realized working on my mental health isn’t one of the goals. It was the first time since I started my sessions that working on mental health isn’t on the list of things I need to work on.

Of course, my mental health is far from perfect but I think in the recent weeks, as the weather got colder and worse, I’ve come to acceptance that there are somethings I can’t change about my life. That include having a mother who is always fighting for control over my life, this world is far from fair and no one (and I mean no one) ever gets everything he/she wants, and I have no governance over what I eat as long as I still have a controlling mother. I have come to give up and accept the fact that there are little freedom in this life of mine, therefore must take advantage of every moment when I’m not under the watchful eyes of my mom.

So if I can pick my word of the year, it’ll be Acceptance. It’s the thing I’ve been unknowingly working toward not only in 2022 but since the last time I tried to flee my home. How long can I hold on to this idea? We’ll have to see in 2023.

Before I continue reflecting on 2022, I want to share some of my favorite photos from 2022.

2022 was…an interesting year. I wouldn’t call it a bad year. I wouldn’t call it a good year either because when has any of us have a good year like a good year that’s full of good things? I would call 2022 an average year – full of ups and downs, adventures and mishaps, wins and loses.

First of all, I’m sure I’m not the only one but my retirement funds plummeted big time when the financial markets decided to go into freefall in 2022. In May, when I decided I wanted to pay off my braces, I had to sell a majority of the funds invested into my Health Savings Account at a loss. Though I was glad to pay off my braces, it still made my heart ache to know the amount of hard-earned investment I lost in the process.

If I have to pick my trip of the year, it would be the scenic backway trip I did in August. My trip to Niagara Falls came in a close second. I absolutely love the scenic backway trip – the silence and knowing I’m surrounded by nature – it felt incredibly soothing to had stood in such a space. I hope I can take another trip there next summer.

2023 is not even here yet and I’m already getting a jumpstart on my garden! I took advantage of the time alone yesterday and sowed some seeds for perennial plants that can take 30-90 days to germinate. Speaking of gardening, I reflected on my 2022 garden in this blog post.

Like I mentioned, 2022 was not a year without mishap and my mishap was not only expensive but it also impacted me mentally. I was in a car accident in August during one of my trips into nature. I don’t want to relive the details.

Thankfully, I have car insurance who covered most of the bill for the repairs but I still had to pay the deductible, which I stupidly increased just a month prior to save myself a few dollars on the premium. Though my car had been reverted to pre-accident, there are still evidence here and there to remind me I was in an accident like a tiny nick by the front bumper and a small scratch at the base of the mirror.

I also suffered mentally from the accident. Not only did I have to go through the emotional torment my mom had chosen to put me through – reminding me almost everyday to not forget I was in an accident. I had also developed a sort of claustrophobia like I’m driving in a lane that’s not wide-enough for my car. Sometimes, I would even have this anxiety of the car in the next lane moving into my lane without checking his/her blind-spot first.

Lastly, I need to mention all the great things that happened in 2022 like scoring a prize at my work’s Christmas raffle and getting an air-hockey game at my department’s Christmas party white-elephant gift exchange. I think the best part of 2022 was getting to see a productive garden. Here’s hoping for a productive garden season in 2023.