It always seems the Christmas season comes in fast and leaves even faster; the 2021 holiday season was no exception. Our tree came down on the 1st, and after one final viewing by 4-year-old Daniel Bonner, the Christmas Polar Express display followed suit on the 8th. So now it’s time to look the new year square in the eye and ask three questions.

First, what are my goals for 2022? At the top of that list is completing a submittable draft of Diary of a Girl in Trouble. A first draft is nearly complete, but since I’ve been writing this book as a “pantser” rather than a “plotter,” there are many gaps to fill and many inconsistencies to resolve. Perhaps the biggest challenge is figuring out what Leah should be saying in her diary entries. I may need outside help with that. Another goal will be to lose about 10 pounds and also reduce my Body Mass Index (BMI) to no more than 20 percent. That will probably call for a trainer’s guidance. Going it alone could result in an injury as bad or worse than the ones I suffered from weight-lifting last year. Two lesser goals are to read more books (I don’t have a set number in mind) and to make one final purge of my possessions in the basement crawl space. Since I am a confessed “prisoner of memory,” achieving this last goal will undoubtedly require some painful choices.

Second, what are my hopes for this new year? One stands out above all others: That grandson Cole’s health problems will be diagnosed and cured or at least controlled enough that hospital visits become few and far between. Other hopes are well behind that one in priority but are still worth mentioning. I hope Becky and I can travel to Kentucky to visit the Zimmerman cousins in Fort Thomas, and niece Isabella and her husband Kevin in Brandenburg. A second hope also involves travel, specifically to Chautauqua, NY, so I can receive my diploma from the Chautauqua Literary and Scientific Circle’s Book Club. Right now, it appears the CLSC plans to hold the diploma-awarding ceremony in person, but a sudden rise in COVID cases could change that. One final hope would be a comprehensive one covering each child and grandchild in his or her individual pursuits. That would include baseball success for Niko, progress with occupational therapy for Christopher, and more opportunities to read for Evie. Oh, I almost forgot my #1 hope for Becky — that her retirement comes smoothly and with minimal angst to her and her clients.

What about my fears? Even if I wasn’t a worrier by nature, I would have a fair number of those for the new year. The flip side of my hope for Cole to be free of his health challenges is the fear that he will continue to struggle with the not-fully-understood ailments that cause him prolonged discomfort, elevated fevers, and sleepless night for his mother and father. I can’t deny that some fear surrounds my own health, too. The rising PSA appeared to level off in December, but there’s no guarantee it won’t resume its upward climb in 2022. If it does, that will lead to a PET scan, and if a recurrence of cancer is detected, radiation treatments.  There is always some fear for my children’s and grandchildren’s safety whether it be a car accident, an accident at home, or a case of COVID. While the latter seems unlikely for them, since they are all (with the exception of 4-year-old Emma) vaccinated or scheduled for vaccination, it is a real danger for some extended family members. At the top of that list is my nephew Lorenzo and Becky’s nephew Patrick and his wife Kassie. I can only hope they decide to get vaccinated before it’s too late.

As the year progresses, new goals, hopes, and fears may arise while the ones mentioned here may fade in importance. It would be even better if at least some goals were achieved, and some hopes realized. One hope that goes without saying, I will say anyway: I hope that one year from now, I am still here to record my goals, hopes, and fears for 2023.