Well, here we are at the end of 2021! Many of the stressors of the dreaded 2020 had unfortunately trickled into the last 12 months as well: job burnout, the challenges of virtual learning, major construction lasting for over a year, the inability to fly, and COVID variant concerns. But, as compared to last year, some of those areas of previous tension are slowly waning and moving toward a more sane normal. My ‘Best of 2021’ comes in the form of optimism.
The biggest change came in the way of the COVID vaccine. It was a big deal for me to volunteer my arm for this–twice. Aside from the usual required childhood illness vaccines that I support, I don’t get shots on the regular. I take my chances with the flu and unless travel to another country would require it, my shot record would have no additions. In fact, the last shot I received was my tetanus booster in 1997–a requirement for nursing school. The newness of this vaccine concerned me. Given the nature of my job as an essential worker, I knew I needed to at least do my due diligence before completely ruling it out. After researching the mechanism and seeing how different it was from say, the flu vaccine, I knew that it would be beneficial to not only me, but my family as well. I received my first shot in January; little did I expect how almost immediately I felt some peace of mind that the status of this pandemic was improving. Being vaccinated eased my constant tension: some of the weight lifted from my shoulders. Even though I knew I had 6 more weeks before I would be ‘fully vaccinated’, I saw a light at the end of that very long, dark tunnel that we had been traveling through over the past year. All of my family and close friends–and many co-workers–followed suit and I felt even more relief.
Spring Break took us on an old-fashioned road trip. Aside from our lodging at Callaway Gardens in Pine Mountain, GA, we had no other reservations. We meandered, saw local sights and found places to stay on the fly. Starting in Bainbridge, GA, we stayed in an adorably restored shotgun house. This quaint, quiet little town was just the kind of place we love to visit. We walked to the town square, ate charcuterie and drank local beer at 11:00 at night. The next day we rode our bikes over a BMX track that stretched alongside the river. Moving on to the ‘Grand Canyon of the East’ was next: Providence Canyon State Park was a great place to explore. The colorful rock formations were unique and awe-inspiring–even the water ran copper. In some spots, we felt transported back to our actual Grand Canyon trip in 2018, but on a much smaller scale. On the way home, we stayed in a ‘tiny house’ in Williston, FL and toured Micanopy. I made my way to Savannah three times this year to see my BFF. When the COVID restrictions began to relax in June, I took advantage and flew to see my family in PA. My son attended his first sleepaway camp for a week over the summer; my husband and I rented a cabin in Bryson City, NC. Unfortunately, thanks to the Delta variant, things seemed to shut back down as quickly as they relaxed: flying anywhere else was not an option–but for a moment, it felt as though life was regaining some semblance of what it used to be.
My son finished out his seventh grade year online. I am so relieved that he is back to in-person schooling for 8th grade. His overall affect is better, brighter and more enthusiastic than he had been in over a year. While we are not having to decode so much of online learning, homework is still a huge time-consumptive challenge for him and an ordeal for me, but that is his normal.
I returned to my duties as a school nurse in August not feeling as refreshed as I had in previous years; in fact, my level of exhaustion left me feeling as though I had no summer break whatsoever. Many of my co-workers echoed the same sentiment. Burnout began creeping in around early September. That familiar feeling of forgetfulness–which I rarely have at work, disorganization, extreme fatigue and anxiety became much more obvious to me in my daily routine. As 2021 progressed, it had become clear that I may need to make some big changes in the near future; when you realize you are in the throes of burnout, it is often difficult–albeit impossible–to make any small changes significant enough to reverse it.
Construction sputtered along through delay after delay: permits to be pulled, insurance authorizations to be obtained, staff delays, material shortages, design decision delays, you know…the usual. (Could I have more pictures of tile and cabinets on my phone right now?!). In the end, what began as a full bathroom remodel and partial kitchen update morphed into a full kitchen remodel complete with new cabinets–our original built-ins could not be saved. Even as I type this, the renovation adventure continues: I just got a kitchen floor and walls (no more wood lath staring at me as I cook). While the cabinets are not due in until February or March, I at least have a new stove and refrigerator in place and a utility tub to suffice as a sink until my cabinets arrive. Save for a shower door, plumbing installation and a fresh coat of paint, the bathroom is nearly done. Baby steps…
Right now–in the interest of optimism–I am grateful to have winter break home with my family; it has given me some decompression time during my favorite season of the year. I am enthusiastic that the seemingly endless construction invading our home is in its final months. I am ever-hopeful that normalcy is on the horizon and that I have a renewed strength to finish this school year doing the best work I can for my students.
2021 on the blog was less about recipes per se and more about food while traveling and bits of culinary info. I thoroughly enjoyed my self-imposed challenge of celebrating my 100th post with a mere 100 words–quite a feat if I do say so myself! I am so proud of the work I have done on this blog over the past seven years: I love bringing new culinary information and recipes to my readers; I love the creativity involved in planning and photographing the aforementioned culinary topic du jour; and I love the feedback I get from family, friends and readers. Writers need to write and this is my space…
As always, my ‘Best of” list from 2021 is listed below. Since I had few recipes to share, the categories have been changed from favorite savory and sweet recipe to the new categories of favorite post and photo of the year. 2022 is almost here and I sense many major changes on the horizon: I am excited to cook my first meal in our brand-new kitchen; my son will be starting high school in August; and I am anticipating the arrival of my she-shed! All good stuff coming, leaving behind the negative… Happy New Year to all; may your 2022 be filled with health and happiness and new beginnings!
My Veg Table’s Best of 2021:
Favorite Food/Travel magazine: Bon Appetit
Favorite non-food book: The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
Favorite cookbook: Half Baked Harvest by Tieghan Gerard
Favorite local restaurant: Twisted Indian (food truck, soon to be a brick & mortar!)
Favorite MVT post of 2021: Charcuterie, Your Way…
Favorite MVT photo of 2021: Spice
Favorite place visited: Providence Canyon State Park, GA
Love reading your posts. Yes, 2020 was one rough year, and while 2021 had its up, there were definitely some downs. Through it all, I too, am grateful our family is well, and while Covid affected us all, we’re still here to tell the story. Wishing you only good things in 2022 – maybe you can work in that trip to PA! ❤️
Love this… Can’t wait until your next visit!! Now…”what’s on the list?” ♡