2022 or 2020, too?

2022 or 2020, too | © 2021 Christopher Sanford

I originally sat down to write about 2021, but there’s so much to unpack from this year that I don’t think I am quite ready to process it. Instead, let’s look forward to 2022 and some of the things I hope are on my horizon. I don’t typically set goals as part of my new year traditions, but here are some things I’ve had rolling around my head that I’m wanting to tackle in the coming year.

MORE COWBELL … I mean piano

In 2022, I want to learn some piano basics. I obviously want to be performing at Lincoln Center by the end of the year, but more realistically I’ll be happy to play some basic chords to bop along with the radio. Honestly, this is going to be the most challenging goal for me. I don’t understand how people continue to do things when they aren’t immediately good at them! I’ve wanted to play piano for years. I have this clear vision of me sitting down and losing myself in the keys as I process my life through the melody. In reality, I sat down at my new keyboard for the first time and just wanted to scream because I couldn’t figure out how to play a single chord. Send all of your piano learning tips my way!

This goal is especially important to me because it has no profit motive behind it. I am admittedly a money-motivated individual, so it’s important for me to spend time on something that has nothing to do with building my bank account. This is simply about developing a skill for the sake of joy. The jury is currently deliberating whether it’ll bring more joy or frustration in 2022. Either way, I’m really excited for this journey.

Launch the first of many Blooming Creek Properties

I love travel, but who doesn’t? I realized that one of my talents in life is creating welcoming spaces. I dare you to walk into my home and not feel immediately at ease … no really, there’s something special about this place. I would love nothing more than to create that experience for others through Airbnb. Anytime I travel, I love to book an Airbnb and enjoy the time that someone has spent curating a welcoming space.  

This will be my biggest financial goal for the year by far, but I think it’ll also be one of the more rewarding ones. My biggest problem right now is figuring out where I would locate my first short-term rental property. Having something close to home in OKC would seem easier to maintain, but I’m also interested in having a property in a spot I love to visit, like Northwest Arkansas or Colorado Springs. What’s your vote? Should I try to invest in something close to home, or take a leap on a place I would want to visit regularly? If you’ve been around me at all, you probably already know I’m all about taking leaps.

Write more often

Oddly, one of the best things to come out of my accounting career has been discovering my love for writing and editing. In 2022, I want to write more, personally and professionally. I want to spend more time in my journal and more time on this blog. Few things clear my head quite like writing, and the lack thereof has probably played a big part in the constant brain fog I’ve experienced this year.

I would also love to land my first writing contract in 2022 – whether that be editing someone’s business plan or writing part-time for a company’s blog. To kickstart this journey, I’ve compiled a list of companies I’d love to work with, so here’s to hoping that one of them is open to the idea. I’ve also outlined a book idea, but I can’t quite figure out my tone for it. More on that to come soon. What do you think I should write about in 2022?

Enjoy reading

This is more of a mindset change, but reading felt like a chore in 2021. There were only a few moments where I enjoyed reading anything, so I’m hoping that 2022 will allow me to quiet my brain enough to enjoy some good books. Leave your 2022 book recommendations in the comments below! I’m a huge fan of memoirs, but I love just about anything that lets me hear someone’s personal story. Did you read something you loved this year?

Choose unreasonable hope

We’re two years into a pandemic, but I remain unreasonably hopeful for the year ahead. I think it has something to do with my limited short-term memory and an eternal optimism. Driving down the road this week, I realized that I’ve reached the point where, for the most part, I don’t really remember life before the pandemic. I’m not saying I don’t recall anything that happened in my life before March 2020, it’s more like I don’t really see the difference in my daily life at this point. I think I’m okay with it because I can set better expectations for days to come. Travel restrictions are the norm, and if getting an annual vaccine booster is the worst thing that happens to me, I’m going to call that a huge win.

I realize that many don’t share my mindset and that the pandemic has been a much harsher reality for others. If the coming year feels overwhelming, take a minute to pause and reflect about a simple truth. We will see the same sun rise in 2022 that we watched rise over our most cherished days. Does this make the hard days any less difficult? No, but it does help me see that good days are still possible.

What are you hoping to see in 2022? I hope it’s time with friends and family. I hope it’s healing. I hope it’s joyful and laughter filled. Most of all, I hope you’re around at the end of 2022 for us to reflect on all the good things we never could have imagined.

How can you support Blooming Creek?

If you want to keep exploring life with Blooming Creek, you can support this community by shopping Blooming Creek merch in the Blooming Creek shop and using my referral links! Hopefully in the future, Blooming Creek can become a physical place for each of us to find respite. Until then, hit that subscribe button, grab yourself some merch, and find a place to belong in the Blooming Creek community!

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