My 2022 had so much in it, and most of it was good, but a lot of it was draining and challenging. All told, it was a year of changes and new challenges and new opportunities. A year of firsts.

I turned 45 at the beginning of the year, which feels very much like the halfway point of the years one can hope to have, so it felt liminal right off the bat. I felt like Janus this year, looking ahead and behind.

My mother in law’s birthday is also in January, and she turned 75. Her care continued...