Welcome to 2023!

Oftentimes, people look at the New Year as a clean slate, a new beginning, a time to let go of toxic behaviors and take up new, healthier ones.

At this time of the year, people always say, “This is going to be my year!”

They look back over the past year and declare the next year will be better.

Looking back at 2022, I am ready for something new. Maybe it’s because of the time of life I find myself (early 30s), but each year seems to get a little tougher.

I was hoping things would be leveling off with the COVID-19 pandemic diminishing and things “returning to normal,” but 2022 was filled with a number of challenges in my life including needing physical therapy and an epileptic cat.

I look back at this past year and see all the hurdles I’ve overcome to make it to the end of the year.

Anyone who knows me, knows what I’m about to say next.

It’s all about perspective. Sometimes you need to change the way you look at something to appreciate it in a new way.

I’ve spent a lot of this year feeling beaten down and low, but I’m taking this time at the end of one year and the beginning of the next to reframe my experiences.

Yes, I needed physical therapy for my hips. However, I am no longer in pain and am building strength and flexibility every day.

Yes, my one cat is epileptic and needs medication every day. However, this experience deepened our relationship and turned my typically unfriendly, anti-social cat into a more open and affectionate creature who demonstrates her trust more often.

All you need to do is look at a situation from a different angle to appreciate what you have. Every challenge can be viewed as an opportunity or a blessing if you let it.

I will not be saying 2023 is my year. However, I will greet 2023 with an open mind and allow its blessings to find me.

So bring it on, 2023. I’m ready.

Samantha Anderson

editorial assistant

Whitehall-Coplay Press

Northampton Press

Catasauqua Press