2022: Year in Review

I'm not really feeling ready to set big goals for this upcoming year, but I do feel like I want to pause and take stock of this past year. In many ways, this year felt stressful and rushed. However, it was also a year of blossoming children, substantial professional growth, deepening friendships, and caregiving for two adults. And while I may not have done all the things I hoped to do for myself, I feel that the life I'm living is pretty great.

Blossoming Children

I am in awe of my two kids, now 7 and 11. They have both become readers with confidence and passions--sharing books is a great joy (we all really loved discovering the Wings of Fire series by Tui Sutherland this year). For taekwondo, the oldest earned his black belt and the youngest her intermediate level purple belt in 2022. Their Destination Imagination team won first place in the Maryland state tournament, and I traveled (after a wild month of fundraising and travel planning to do so) with them to Global Finals in Kansas City--which was a really amazing, healing experience for my kids--whose school lives had been dominated by the Covid pandemic in the prior two years.

Celebrating their journey and learning with other Maryland DI Teams!

They also participated in summer swim team for the first time, and loved it. Each is growing into an interesting and unique young person. I enjoy spending time with both of them, especially with playing card and board games or going on nature walks. Raising children is not an easy task--it is relentless, unforgiving, and (often) unpleasant--especially during challenging phases, illnesses, or tough times. But I'm very lucky my kids are doing well overall.

Professional Growth

During 2022, I completed 21 of my 60 doctoral degree credits (gearing up to study for comprehensive exams in January and then moving into ABD territory during 2023). Even more amazing was how much I've grown as a leader, researcher, and educator along this journey. I have also developed some close relationships with the other students in my classes and cohort (our five-person writing group made time to meet up during break at the National Harbor & it was delightful to see people in person!). Going back to school to get my doctorate at age 40 was a wild decision, but I'm glad I'm on this journey.

My programs have seen massive growth and equity-focused expansion. I've also had the joy to work with some amazing students, teachers, counselors, leaders, and higher ed personnel who are committed to improving student experience of the high school to college transition. Finally, the education law in Maryland is going through a lot of changes and my involvement with state-level coordination and implementation of the change has been exhausting, but rewarding. I continue to be excited by my career and feel blessed to have the opportunity to work for children in this way.

Touring the (gorgeous!) University of Minnesota's engineering library while in St. Paul.

I also was fortunate to attend two conferences this year (one in Frederick and one in Minnesota) and met several national leaders in my field, as well as connecting with them in new ways through my doctoral work.

This year has seen a great deal of transition with the leadership above me, often creating anxiety and unanticipated challenges. We seem to have settled in a good place as this year draws to a close, but there were many times in 2022 where the action (or inaction) of a new, ineffective, or malicious senior leader threatened to impact the opportunities afforded students, and I felt extremely frustrated with myself for being unable to navigate all of it well. This has been a very, very challenging year for educators--and students--at every level (a sort-of normal year, but with all the traumas of a pandemic still lingering). I'm not at all surprised to see people leaving the field entirely.

I hope 2023 proves to be a better year for everyone in schools.

Deepening Friendships

I have friendships with several women who live locally that I feel have become chosen family. Our family networks are deeply intertwined--for the most part, the kids and adults all get along well with each other. We spend lots of time together--hanging out at each others' houses or going on adventures/outings together--without some of the pressure that can come with adult friendships. I am extremely grateful to have them in my life. (Note: One member of this group has moved away, but we still connect frequently thanks to chat and other distance communications. She's had a year of big transitions, and it's hard not to be able to surround her in the love, community, and support she deserves. But she is a survivor!)

Just one example, some of our kids, at the county fair, with friendship bracelets.

I was also able to visit a friend I had not seen in many years (who I met through this very blog--NOT KIDDING!!!--while we both lived in Korea) while I was traveling for a conference to Minnesota. This trip was very life-affirming and healing--especially connecting me back with my writing self (hopefully for us both). Recognizing how think I need to commit to in-person connections again with these long-time friends who still chat/text/phone/email, but haven't really been able to see for a few years. I felt this when I attended a high school program reunion this summer, too, and spent some time catching up with friends.

I'm also feeling more connected this year to communities than I have in a long time. Whether through volunteering at our kids' school, commiserating about graduate school coursework, collaborating on something professionally, discussing issues in social media, or dancing together in social dances or fitness classes, I feel rich again with a casual/acquaintance-level social network. I think this is the layer of relationships that suffered the most from Covid restrictions.

Caregiving

My mother had a stroke in August 2020, and while she lives independently in a condo a block away from our house, her recovery to independence is incomplete. It's been a bit of a rough year as we attempted to navigate her getting back to driving, but have not been able to do so yet. This journey was further complicated by the financial emergencies of my two adult siblings who my mother still feels the need to support. I'm not going to get into family dynamics here, but caregiving for a parent while being estranged from a sibling because he has past financial abuse of that parent while the parent continues to enable the abuse is... something. I continue to have to do really good boundary work and values clarity. I am grateful for the opportunity to have this relationship with my mother and help her live well, but it is NOT easy to balance it all.

Meanwhile, in early April, Mingi had surgery on his right foot to resolve several issues from a soccer injury two years ago. The recovery and the subsequent physical and emotional ups and downs from this have also triggered migraines and injured the left foot from overuse. He's not as reliant on others as my mother is, but our whole family has been impacted by his ongoing health challenges and recovery. Our network of friends and acquaintances has been invaluable through this recovery period, but it has been a struggle. We are definitely looking forward to a year where we can all do more together (hiking, traveling, silly fun), and Mingi feels more like himself.

Visiting the Inner Harbor in Baltimore this week felt a bit like maybe we are back to more normal ways of being for our family.

Overall, I'm proud of what I've been able to accomplish this year and grateful for the support in overcoming challenges we've faced. Having a stable financial situation and supportive network has made a major difference; at another time in my life, the challenges of 2022 would have broken me. Instead, I feel content that I was able to give the people I love so much care, love, and support. However, I have gained another 10 lbs in the last year (on top of the 20 I had put on in the prior years), and really need to put more focus into my own health so I'm able to continue to support others and do the things I want to do.

As such, I'm setting an intention this year of ensuring that I'm giving at least equal care and support to my own health and development that I give to my family.

How was your 2022? What are your New Year's intentions? Please share!

Christmas joys--meditation and writing

Another Christmas holiday. We enjoyed time with family, new board & card games, books, and many Lego sets & craft kits. Also, the weather stopped gale force winds enough for us to enjoy a family walk in the afternoon.

Discovering ice in the paths near our home--and smashing it!

All in all an enjoyable holiday. Now I have a lovely week with no official work to savor time with family, accomplish little domestic projects, exercise, and cook to my heart's delight.  I plan to indulge heartily in all the things that I enjoy without the guilt about what I "should" be doing right now. Whatever gets done, gets done. Whatever does not, does not. It's all ok!

I'm thinking about plans/goals for the new year. I think taking back up meditation and writing will be the most important. From these habits, all other good things flow. Maybe one goal of prepping meals for the week on Sundays (which helps me have time for meditation and writing as well as saving time, money, and improving my health).

For example, when I meditate, I am more likely to focus on being present, eating whole foods, and treating myself and others with kindness. When I write, I document my thoughts and process the negativity to feel more authentically connected to the directions and goals in my life. Both of these habits then allow my mind to organize best in alignment with the true values I hold in my heart and encourage me to live through these values rather than trying to distract myself from my own life.

Being home all week, I don't really need a meal plan, but I'd like to prepare for meal planning by using up my pantry/fridge/storage. Tonight, I will make a mushroom pilaf (maybe with couscous instead of rice), that I can use to stuff roast acorn squash. I will eat my (already) roasted beets for a snack and work to use up the veggies in my fridge and pantry. I also have a yummy kale-chickpea soup leftovers to eat over the next few days. I think I have to get back into cooking with what's in my home and then shopping to create a weekly plan.

I also really need to limit my sugar. I have been munching on candy thoughtlessly. I don't enjoy it, and it's not helping my life. I think I need to be more purposeful with my sugar intake and only have sweets when it's worth it--like homemade special treats. Maybe I can start munching on popcorn instead. I like that idea.

How was your holiday?

Reflections about health on an unexpected day of weather cancellations

This morning, our area had some ice and rain storms with freezing temperatures overnight. Although the situation in our neighborhood is not bad at all, the North part of the county must have been terrible because they cancelled school. With offices on a two hour delay, I find myself with the gift of a bit of writing time on this last day of work before the winter break.

Getting the day off school was great for my kids, as both have been dragging themselves through various illnesses throughout most of the month. I think my oldest has attended a total of 2 days in December. Multiple doctor's office trips and Covid tests and no definitive diagnosis, but a collection of symptoms that could be from one of so many different viruses floating around this holiday season, wreaking havoc everywhere. The youngest has been feverish and complaining of ear pain this week, but the doctor's trip did not show infection--just fluid in the ears. They both need the day to fully rest instead of forcing themselves to gather all the work they've missed and check in with teachers before the official start of winter break tomorrow.

Coping with sick children is very stressful. I am extremely grateful that I have the resources in my life--both financial and social--to help manage all the challenges that come with caring for a sick child. I'm also grateful that so far, the illnesses have been mild and routine (colds, viruses, etc.). Right now, there are many parents who are coping with sick children without adequate health insurance or who cannot pay for the medications or equipment that help alleviate symptoms. There are parents with jobs that will punish them for taking time off to care for children and schools that are unsympathetic to the challenges of this season. I can't help but think about how our society could make things better and easier for all children, yet we choose to let them struggle instead.

I'm reading The Myth of Normal by Dr. Gabor Maté (written with his son, Daniel), which identifies some of the ways in which the systemic failures of our society to prevent childhood suffering contributes to the numerous health crises that have arisen in the past century. I'm not sure I agree with all of his arguments and writing, but it is an important critique of the way the field of medicine alone is inadequate to address illness and healing. This makes me very aware of the ways our society fails children and how that impacts generations of suffering.

I am also trying to address what this means for my own health journey. Becoming a caregiver to my aging mother has had a profound impact on the ways I view my own childhood, the formation of my self, and how I understand human relationships. Dr. Maté would urge me to lean into these learnings and find ways to connect my healing needs with addressing the complexities of health and social-familial environment. I'm not really sure how to turn that journey into a "resolution" yet, but I would like to prioritize healing and health as I move into the new year.

Not just for me, but for my family and community.

I will continue to reflect. In the meantime, I will enjoy this slow start to my morning, this opportunity for rest and reflection in the coming holiday, and what it might mean about my priorities in life.

How do I get back into blogging?

 I think I just start. We're moving into winter and life is very busy and always moves right along.

Goodbye, Fall

Some thoughts that have been on my mind this week:

1. Grad School: I finished this semester's courses for my doctoral program. I enjoyed the classes much more than I thought, and the final paper in my qualitative methods course allowed me to play around with a mixed methods design that I have been hoping to explore. The methodology, Trochim's concept mapping, is a really great blend of qualitative data collection, participatory research--it involves the participants analyzing the qualitative data they produce, abstract statistical models that I nerd out over, and visual representation of data. The methodology pairs well with my epistemological framework for research (intersectionality), my research question (identifying barriers to access and participation in advanced coursework), and my commitment to bringing the student perspective into empirical studies. I met with the instructor who taught my quantitative methods course who is currently serving as program coordinator until the regular program coordinator returns from sabbatical next semester to discuss the possibilities with her, and she did agree to be my quantitative methodologist on my dissertation committee if we need one! I'm looking forward to my Spring seminar coursework. However, first I must get through my comprehensive exams in late Jan/early Feb--whew.

Youngest takes a nature walk with her best friend.

2. Kids: Our oldest has been dealing with a cold/stomach flu that just won't quit. Poor thing has been out of school far too many days. Meanwhile, the youngest is exhausted and needs a mental break. I hope the holiday break can be our chance to reconnect as a family and relax a bit. This school year has been fun and busy, but rather stressful!

3. Health: I'm working to go for long walks most days of the week. I enjoy the connection with nature and it's all I can fit in my schedule right now. The shorter days make it hard to remember to go for a walk, but I do enjoy hanging out with the family of deer who share our neighborhood. I'm getting back into the habit of cooking, which has fallen by the wayside because of this busy life season.

Deer family in the marshlands.

So for now, that's my update. I hope this helps get me back into the writing flow!