Goodbye 2022!

As the last few hours of 2022 were passing, I found myself relaxing and reading an article by Valerie Tiberius in the final Wall Street Journal publication of the year, entitled “For The New Year – Figuring Out What Matters Most.”?There were many thought-provoking elements associated with this piece which somehow got me thinking (we all do way too much thinking on New Year’s) about how much I enjoy writing, yet I never find the time to do so anymore.?For many years, I was asked to write the Foreword for a European business publication which wound up being a somewhat silly review of the year past.?Eventually, they apparently became bored of my humor and stopped inviting me back.

So, I quickly decided, only moments ago, that I was due for an encore with or without permission or a request from a publisher.?I could have simply decided to start tweeting but my fear of rejection led me to decide not to as one never knows who Elon may censor next.?So here goes, my take on 2022, just for all of you.?I joke that my son’s dog Barkley has more Instagram followers than I do but, Barkley, when it comes to LinkedIn – I have the clear edge!

For starters, think about my title – “Goodbye 2022” – wouldn’t it be wonderful to once again end a year and feel sad to see it go rather than being happy that it’s over??Is that still possible?

Well, 2022 briefly gave us some hope after two awful years dealing with the &%#* (I refuse to keep repeating that word) until all of a sudden Mr. Putin decided it was time to invade a completely peaceful neighboring country, almost immediately spoiling the post &%#* party we were only starting to enjoy.?While the Ukranian people have clearly learned from David and Goliath, despite their miraculous sling shots and will, they have still lost the lives of tens of thousands of their brothers and sisters, mothers and fathers and yes, children too.?We all immediately made contributions or supported food drives, but ladies and gentlemen it hasn’t been enough.?The impact this has all had on our hearts and the global economy is impossible to measure but it’s not difficult to understand the incalculable damage.?Let’s all be hopeful Mr. Zelensky can revive his comedic skills in 2023 and maybe we can all smile with him once again very soon.

So, if that wasn’t bad enough, we were faced with numerous “100 Year” weather events, once again, causing me to wonder whether it’s time to ditch some of these terms.?Maybe we will instill a greater sense of calm if we go back to simpler times and call them “bad storms.”?Do we have to tell a bunch of innocent people already worried about impending storms that a “Bomb Cyclone” is coming their way as opposed to a simple “you should expect very cold weather and snow?"?Do Hurricane’s really need names??Does everyone named Ian, Gloria, Andrew and Sandy have to forever feel a bit guilty of their namesake? (Then there are the few loonies who are jealous they have never had a storm named after them). On a more sincere note, of course our thoughts and prayers also go out to everyone impacted by these extreme weather events in 2022.

While alluded to above, how about the “I” word? No that’s not Ira (although I am happier to share my name with Individual Retirement Accounts and the Inflation Reduction Act than I would be with my own Hurricane) – so of course this “I” refers to my sister-in-law Iggy – no wait she hasn’t harmed the world so I must be referring to Inflation!?I constantly refer to the “younger” people who have never experienced the inflation or interest rates we are already witnessing as we close out the year.? I am reminded of my early years, walking into town with my mother in Long Beach, New York to shop around for the best CD’s, (that's Certificates of Deposit not Billy Joel CD's), where rates were all in double digits and new accounts were rewarded with toaster ovens and blenders.?While the glass half full would indicate that these days may be back soon enough (if you really need a basic blender as banks are unlikely to spring for a Vitamix), rising mortgage rates are, at the same time, making it more difficult to buy homes with prices remaining remarkably resilient and rates remaining on the rise. ??And inflation isn’t all about real estate, it’s also about eggs, cheese, cereal and pickles and I actually heard that New York City’s Diamond District may start distributing Sub Zero replacement parts which have also become astronomically expensive.

The other story line I would like to pursue may completely contradict everything I have said above in an attempt to end on a positive note.?Bad things happened in 2020, more bad things happened in 2021 and of course yet again in 2022, and for that matter bad things have happened for nearly 250 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776 (these words always seem to lead me to hum words from the musical, Hamilton).?Bad things will always happen ladies and gentlemen and we cannot spend too much of our time lamenting about problems. ?As it is clear by our mere existence this moment that we always find a way to survive, a way to love, a way to smile and a way to be supportive (how about that amazing woman who did everything she could to save an elderly man during the horrific winter storm in the Buffalo area – way to go Sha’Kyra!)

We certainly do not know what will hit us in 2023 but we do know that we will persevere and hopefully, the good finds a way to surpass the bad in 2023 and at this time next year we find ourselves sad to see the year pass.?Happy New Year to all and to all a good night (and of course drive safely or just stay home and enjoy Netflix (or Hulu, or HBO, or Plex, or Apple TV+, etc., or maybe just a bunch of New Year’s texts with exploding fireworks.

See you in 2023!