It is customary to reflect on the year that just passed to see what we accomplished, what was left undone, what we want to carry into the new year and what we want to let go.
My 2022 was a good year, all things considered. Here are some highlights:
- Professionally, 2022 was likely my best year yet. I accomplished much and helped others accomplish a lot. I think it was a resounding success.
- Personally, 2022 was another year of loneliness. There were two sides to this. On the one hand, I spent my 10th year by myself. wishing to have a life partner, or even an adventure partner. But it was not meant to be. On the other hand, I have become more comfortable with loneliness and solitude, perhaps as a way to prepare myself for the next adventure after I retire.
- It was a year of unexpected losses: first Tara, our 12 year old dog, and then Bhakti, our six year old kitty that had been with us less than a year.
- It was a year of new companions: we gained Duke around Thanksgiving. Everyday is an adventure with this guy.
- It was a year of good-byes: after over a decade, I stepped down from the ContraCola Board, unwilling to succumb to the chaos that has become part of that operation.
- It was a year of hellos: I became an officer in the Harvest Moon Folk Society, having been elected its President for the 2002-2003 year (and also taking over as Booker and continuing to do work as webmaster), and I also joined the Charlotte Contra Dancers Board as their Secretary and sound tech.
- This was a year of new realizations. One of them was that my relationship to Contra dancing changed drastically over the last few years. I still love the dance form and the communities around Contra, and I am also not as driven to actually dance. When I go to a dance, I am content with just watching others dance, rejoicing in their smiles, loving that I made a small contribution to their joy. My lower stamina gets in the way of enjoying the actual dancing. That also comes across at my lack of interest in driving several hours to attend a dance or my lack of interest in going to weekend dances. All this is neither good nor bad; it is just interesting to observe.
- It has also been interesting to observe how much some Contra communities have changed since the pandemic. Many members of the Contra world have stepped away from it, either partially or completely. Without them many of these communities are struggling, being forced to re-start their groups almost from scratch. Not only are we missing the dance energy from these members, we are also deprived of their knowledge and wisdom. As with many similar situations, there are also positive aspects: we are being forced to re-invent these groups, forced to re-think what we do and how we do it, and this may be what Contra needs in order to survive and grow again.
What are your reflections about 2022? Was it a good year? What lessons did you learn?
[GIF image source: https://www.asiamediajournal.com via Google Images]
