1. What did you do in 2023 that you’d never done before?
Added rotisserie chicken to food dishes (but did not purchase another due to surprisingly high fat content), began using half-caff coffee, cooked ground turkey and chicken breast on the stove top, enjoyed a pineapple chicken frozen dinner, shared the administrative assistant role with a second person, tried frozen turkey meatballs (now a breakfast staple), used an immersion blender, and worked with an Oracle database (NOT impressed!). I revisited the local mall for the first time since before Covid. I streamed more shows, watched more DVDs, and enjoyed more YouTube music videos than any year in recent memory. I was employed in retail for the first time in a very long time.
2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
For 2023, I wanted to “be brave and to keep talking to God in prayer and keep trusting God with whatever He brings my way.” Sometimes I did keep that resolution, although, more often, I blew it.
No resolution made for 2024.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
no
4. Did anyone close to you die?
In February, my uncle passed, and in May, I lost a cousin who was my age.
5. Where did you travel?
only to work
6. What would you like to have in 2024 that you lacked in 2023?
someone who speaks my love language
7. What date or event from 2023 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
The September day I arrived at my office job, was promptly shuffled into the conference room with 70 people and discharged in a layoff due to a downturn in their business.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
In August, I had my first “biometric health screening” blood test, and my results were awesome: my numbers were in the good ranges for all six of the checks! PRAISE THE LORD!
9. What was your biggest failure?
With months of unemployment and two jobs that proved to be the wrong fit, I felt like a failure career-wise all year. Also, I – finally! – recognized a damaging protein deficiency in my diet, and, having long tried to make good food choices, realizing that I’ve been oblivious to something so important has me feeling completely dumb. #OhWell #AlwaysMoreToLearn
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
In October, I developed a runny nose, a cough and an achy left eye, aka Sinus Business, the worst since 2018.
In early December, I hurt my arm/back/left shoulder blade while moving a 40(!) bottle(!) case(!) of water(!) at work. It was the worst and longest lasting injury pain I’ve experienced to date. Thankfully, it continued to improve along the way, with the past three days being almost back to normal.
11. What was the best thing you bought?
my first recliner
runner up: four clear plastic totes to replace cardboard boxes for storing off-season clothes in my closet
12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Again this year, Kelley, my co-Sunday School teacher. She covered our class while I worked Sundays during my two months at a retail job.
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
“K” the 28-year-old who was assigned to train me at my office job. When she met me, she didn’t smile, just glared with a “you gotta be kidding me” look. As a trainer, she was impatient and scolding. Because of her, when I was let go, I could truly thank the Lord for closing that door.
14. Where did most of your money go?
household expenses
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
I can’t think of a single thing.
16. What song will always remind you of 2023?
Probably the line from a song our church choir sang years ago that says “Even in the valley, God is good.”
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
Happier or sadder? sadder
Older or wiser? older
Thinner or fatter? fatter
Richer or poorer? poorer
18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
focused on the good things I have, instead of on the… painful perplexities
19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
felt as if I was behind and could not catch up
20. Did your heart break?
Yes. With the ongoing job challenges, this year was hard – perplexing and painful – and I ugly-cried a lot.
21. How did you spend Christmas?
We had to turn down an invitation to join my cousin and his family because my sister’s arthritic knee has had her barely able to walk for the entire month. So, my mother, my sister and I had our typical Christmas. I worked on these questions and reflected on the year while I did a load of laundry. We opened our gifts around nine-thirty, after I set up our low-frills video camera. I took pictures of our decorations and gifts, and made lunch (a frozen pot roast dinner, actually quite good). We ended the day watching DVDs.
22. How will you spend New Year’s Eve?
I will attend the services at church and teach Sunday School for the first time since December 3. Later, the fam and I will watch DVDs, and then ring the new year in as we typically do: sleeping.
23. What was your favorite TV program?
Thanks to DVDs, I’m rediscovering my fondness for childhood fave CHiPs. I also enjoyed streaming the old-but-new-to-me series, The Hardy Boys.
24. What were your greatest food discoveries?
My food discoveries were some of the year’s few highlights, as I continued to enjoy success with my so-called experiments.
25. What was the best book you read?
My job schedules left little time for much else, and IIRC, I only read Christian periodicals: Journey devotional magazine, and my church’s Lifeway literature.
26. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Our church’s new worship leader introduced several awesome songs that I had somehow missed. Alas, as I write this, no specifics come to mind.
27. What did you want and get?
God answered my prayers for direction many times.
28. What did you want and not get?
a job that I enjoy and that has long term potential
29. What was your favorite film?
I’ve not had much interest in movies for a year or two, but late in 2023, I revisited a couple, and seeing Captain America: The First Avenger again filled my head for a few awesome weeks with happy thoughts of heroes. ❤ ❤ ❤
30. What did you do on your birthday?
I went to church and taught our two fifth graders in Sunday School. Since other activities ruled out my traditional birthday visit to Rosie’s Cantina, lunch was semi-homemade: frozen (air fried) fish and spaghetti squash baked by my mother. In the afternoon, I mostly rested due to an attack of Sinus Business.
31. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Certain circumstances led to an increase in time spent with my mother and my sister, and I often felt drained by the interactions. Since the situation will likely continue for a while, I need to be more diligent in making time with people and activities that refresh me.
32. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2023?
At my office job, I enjoyed wearing my nicer business casual clothes and my blingy badge-holder necklace. At my retail job, it was sweatshirts and jeans, plus my jacket because I was colder than usual in that store.
33. What kept you sane?
trusting that God is at work even in what seems like utter chaos
34. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
no one
35. What social or political issue or news story stirred you the most?
Very often I was moved to pray for those affected by war.
36. Who did you miss?
Marlene, the manager who arrived right before I left my office job. With her positive, respectful attitude and good communication skills, I’m sorry I didn’t get the chance to work with her more.
37. Who was the best new person you met?
Among the best new people I met were my fellow morning-crew ladies at my retail job: their kindness quickly made me feel like part of the team. At my previous job, my closest cubicle neighbors kept interactions with me to a chilly minimum, and that made for some long, lonely days.
38. What changed the most in your life this year?
2023 surprised me with one job change after another. I was unemployed until April, then I worked six months at an office job, followed by two months in retail where I pulled items to fill orders placed online. On December 29th, I resigned from retail to focus on finding the right job.
39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2023.
During a Bible study, I recognized my tendency to try to fit faith into a formula, this plus that equals a given. I continue to do this, though – needless to say – it doesn’t work. A quote I discovered just last week offers a gentle, tried-and-true correction: “God’s providence is not a code to be deciphered. It is a plan to be trusted.” ~ John Piper
40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:
“Standing on a road I didn’t plan, wondering how I got to where I am.” ~ Plumb, “Need You Now (How Many Times)”
medley rising 