I thought it would be fun to look back at this year and come up with a list of twenty-two things I loved about it–a mishmash of my favorites. Say so-long to this year on an upbeat.
No, it wasn’t all sparkles and sunshine. Some hard things came my family’s way this year. But even the difficult can yield good. We may have to scratch a little harder to find it, but it is–or one day will be–there.
I got tickled and had a good LOL all by myself when I looked back at some posts I’d written in January. (You can read them here and here) Boy, did I have some ambitions! But these two posts reminded me that even when I don’t accomplish what’s on my list, I can still call my effort a win. “Trying” is important.
Starting at the Beginning
These favorite things are NOT rated in order of how “favorite” they are…
- We celebrated my brother-in-law’s and sister-in-law’s 50th wedding anniversary in January. Their actual anniversary was in December, but we waited until after the holidays. Kerry and Melinda introduced my husband to me so they’ll always have a special place on my favorites’ list!
- This list is going to be all over the place because…well, just because. My favorite series on Prime was The Chosen. It’s the first time I’ve liked an actor portraying Jesus. He’s very believable. On the completely different end of film genres was the movie The Outfit, an understated, elegant film. Also loved Our Friend, even though it was sad–so good. For fun, I give The Lost City high marks. I Want You Back was funny too. So, bonus round! You got my five favorites.
- My favorite thing that I HAVE to do every month is visit my sweetheart of a hairdresser. Gena is one of the kindest, most genuine people I’ve ever known. She makes me feel like a million bucks whenever I see her.
- My favorite new gadget is an angled measuring cup I can read from the top. It’s a humdinger!
- My favorite magazine of 2022? The ever-excellent Paducah Life. If you don’t live in Paducah, you should still subscribe to this magazine. It’s that good! Tap here for a look.
From Babies to Tunics
6. My favorite life event: Our precious Georgia Graham Buchanan came into this world in May! She’s so loved!!
7. My favorite new appliance is my amazing coffee maker. It’s an OXO and, if I’m lyin’ I’m dyin’, it delivers the best tasting coffee you can brew at home. I cannot believe how much better my homemade cuppajoe tastes.
8. While we’re on beverages, my new favorite fancy coffee splurge this year was a Brown Sugar Oatmilk Latte. Nutty, smooth, satisfying…so good I can almost justify what it costs!
9. My favorite new powder (I know. That was a weird transition from coffee to powder. Just go with it.) is Lollia Wish. You can find it here. It’s got a delicate floral scent and feels like satin. Perfumes bother me, but this soft fragrance does not. Ooo-la-la!
10. My favorite new article of clothing that I purchased is this basic white tunic. I snagged it in a tall from Gap. Affordable. Long. White. Necessary. LOVE it.
Fashion to Food
11. My favorite fashion trend of 2022–definitely the return of bright colors! Read more about that here.
12. My favorite offbeat book: Unlikely Animals by Annie Hartnett. This book grabbed me with its cleverness and humor. Here’s a great line from this brilliant author: “It’s easy to figure out how you feel about something when you think you’re about to lose it.”
13. My favorite book with repetitive words in the title: Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin. I would never have read it if not for a friend who loves reading almost as much as I do. She told me it was the best book she’d read in a long time and, by golly, she was right. You’ll read the description of it and wonder if you’ll like it, just like I did. You will.
14. My favorite vocabulary-building book: Mercury Pictures Presents by Anthony Marra. The last time I was this challenged in the vocab department was when I read The Whistling Season by Ivan Doig, a master wordsmith.
15. My favorite book featuring cake: Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson. So many pieces of delicious writing.
16. And, speaking of food, what favorites list is complete without it? Not mine, that’s for sure! My favorite recipe this year? Always this!
So Many Fun Surprises!
17. Favorite surprise–being featured on The Sh*t No One Tells You About Writing’s podcast segment called “Books with Hooks.” One of the three hosts critiqued the query letter I’ve written for my second novel, The Happiness Museum. You can hear it here.
18. My favorite celebrity spotting: I got a two-for-one. As my husband and I casually munched on a sandwich in a deli in Franklin, Tn., we quickly realized we were sitting not six feet away from Nicole Kidman! WHAAA?! And, then, after Kent had restrained me from my urge to accost her for an autograph, I realized I was even closer to one of the hosts of the aforementioned podcast!!! Literary agent Carly Watters. She was lovely and gracious despite my (perhaps obnoxious?) effusiveness.
19. Favorite new friend: Not just one, okay…ALL the lovely women I met at the Women’s Fiction Writers Association Retreat in Albuquerque. They really were the best!
20. Favorite Airline. Doesn’t everyone have a favorite airline? My husband and I started jumping up and down in glee (okay, I jumped up and down; he just smiled real big) when Contour Air announced their direct flight from Paducah to Charlotte, home of four of our grands. It felt like the powers that be had consulted and decided to award the Buchanan family a BIG reward.
21. Favorite gift received: My personalized Santa by the illustrious E.J. Abell! You can get your very own here.
22. And last but NOT least…Favorite book cover? Well, duh. Click here! And feel free to pre-order!!
Embrace the Difficult
As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, this year hasn’t been all movie stars and original art. My sweet (favorite) Dad was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive cancer and had to undergo surgery. And, my sweet (favorite) brother was diagnosed with a different, but also rare, condition that is causing him a lot of pain. It’s been difficult to see these loved ones suffer.
But, through it all their faith has held strong. They are living what they profess to believe. And that was the greatest lesson I learned in 2022:
Hang on in the hard. Look for the good.
I certainly don’t mean to end this post on a down note. I hope you’ll understand my intent in sharing what my dad and brother are going through–that even difficulties contain blessings if we look for them. Life and relationships are precious and suffering sometimes underscores that.
So, whether you consider 2022 a “good” or “bad” year, what have been some of your favorite things about it?