I have been trying to reflect on the year 2023 since 2024 has begun but I’m coming up blank. I feel like so much has happened in last year yet so little. So I think I will try to reflect on some of the big things that happened in my world in 2023.

The year started out with a 70-mile trip to Evanston, Wyoming. Mom wanted to test her luck, hoping to score big with lottery. Gambling is illegal in Utah, so we often make the drive to our closest neighboring state to stave off some of that gambling cravings.

I drove, so I think it’s what made the trip memorable. I enjoy driving as well as I get to pick the music and no backseat driving.

Beside 2017, 2023 is another year for travel. In 2017, I spent 4 months in China and then traveled to Canada, South Dakota, and Yellowstone. In 2023, I saw England, Scotland, Japan, Monument Valley, and Grand Canyon. The amount of travel in 2023 definitely beat out 2017.

I’m sure one day I’ll visit UK again and see of its other beautiful places like the Lake District and Leeds and Yorkshire, etc. For now, I’m done with visiting these metropolitan cities with people around every corner.

Japan was another one of those memorable places I visited in 2023. Given how humid it is, I’m not surprised by how green and lush everything is. At the same time, the high humidity exacerbated many of my aches and pains in my joints that wouldn’t otherwise showed up in a dry climate. I have no doubt I will return, perhaps in a cooler season with lower humidity level, maybe when I have mastered basic Japanese communication skills, but I would probably visit cities that are less well-known.

Outside of all the travel, there was gardening. We had continual harvest of greens throughout spring, summer, and all the way into late fall. My final harvest of the year was December 29, 2023. Some things I would I need to work on are succession planting and plant spacing. I have no doubt that 2024 will be a better gardening year than 2023.

Finally, how can I forget about this trip?

Courtesy of Google Maps taking me down one scenic byway after another, I got to see a lot more of Utah than I’ve ever planned. On the first day, it took me down Highway 261 from Highway 95 as a detour to Highway 163 to Monument Valley. There is a spot on Highway 261 called Moki Dugway, which I unintentionally stopped at. I didn’t know about this spot until I reviewed my timeline on Google Maps. It is definitely a spot I’ll have to revisit.

I visited 3 National Parks on this trip – Capitol Reef, Bryce Canyon, and Grand Canyon – and drove over 1,800 miles in just over 5 days. My favorite part of the trip was learning to care about and put myself first. Some may call it a selfish act but I believe it’s an important of self-care and it’s something I’ve neglected for a long time.

In 2024, I shall learn to do more self-care.