Each year many of us take stock of the year just passed and reflect on where we spent our energies. We also make a few plans about what we'd like to do in the coming year. Some make resolutions, some set goals, some simply choose a word to guide them through the year.
I haven't set any resolutions since my early 20s when I was still in university. I stopped setting them after I realized I wasn't very good at keeping them for more than a few weeks. Over a decade ago I started setting goals in various areas of life (physical, spiritual, financial etc.) and at the end of the year I would take stock of what I was able to accomplish. This system worked very well for me. Then I heard about people selecting a word for the year and I thought it sounded like a good idea. At the time I think I was also under a lot of time constraints due to my dear late mom's growing health needs and challenges. Setting a word for my intentions for the year worked well enough though I think it's missing the structure I need. I think goal setting works better for me but takes a lot more thought and preparation so for now I use a theme word.
In 2021 my theme word was 'completion'. When I selected the word I knew that many things needed to be completed before Jonah could join me in Canada. The biggest part of that was decluttering and much of it was accomplished. In 2022 I chose the word 'renew' (to give new strength or energy to; to reinvigorate). Chief among the things that needed renewing was my home so that it could be ready for my DH Jonah to join me in Canada. Decluttering also needed to continue because I never got through everything in 2021.
A lot of documents and photos related to travels to Kenya had to be reorganized. In late 2021 while looking for the right documents and photos, I started the digital culling and digital file organization and continued into 2022. Another thing that needed renewal was getting proper legal assistance. This turned out to be more complicated than I thought it would be. So many lawyers, so many years of experience, yet also many frauds. The legal search went on in early 2021 and we had a wonderful lawyer but before we could hire her she had big changes in her life and we had to shift and find new legal counsel. This happened in the Fall of 2021. The law firm we hired assigned a lawyer to us and she left the firm in early 2022. There was a 2 month delay while waiting for the new lawyer to start work and get up to date on all her files. The shift to a new lawyer turned out to be a very good thing. Our new counsel was very experienced in all aspects of immigration and had just the right credentials to make us feel confident.
Anyone from Canada who has been involved in spousal sponsorship knows the process is not that straightforward. It took 2 months for Jonah and I to prepare and review the first drafts of the application and required documentation (completed in early 2022 before the new lawyer started working on the file). It took another 5 months for the lawyer to review the application, make refinements and suggestions and proof-read etc. (completed in June 2022). The process is very labour intensive, intrusive, expensive and time consuming. Added to that were the delays and inefficiencies caused by Covid and the need for biometrics and medicals in another country.
Fortunately for us our application went relatively quickly once the review process actually started. The application 'sat' somewhere for 4.5 months. During that time I became concerned that each step of the process would be equally slow. I needn't have worried. Once the application began to be processed it only took 4.5 months to make a decision. That is very quick! We were giving all praises to God for answering our prayers.
Since we completed the immigration process, the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has undergone radical transformation. The process is now done completely on line which is more efficient. Some applications now take only 2 months to thoroughly vet and approve or refuse. This technological improvement is couple with greater staffing, improved work flow and better communication tools. The overhaul is long overdue and no doubt things will continue to improve as time goes forward. One thing I discovered during Covid restrictions and lockdowns is that the pandemic exposed many weaknesses and gaps in our institutional processes. Little by little the issues at IRCC will hopefully be corrected because there are people who have had horrendous experiences and waited years for their applications to be processed. Much of the issues stemmed from Covid closures but that was not the only issue.
Some things still needed completion from 2012 such as decluttering of papers, possessions and digital clutter. I made a lot of progress giving away things, shredding papers and deleting and reorganizing digital files. I am pleased with what has been done so far but there is still more to do. I got rid of everything that used to be 'hidden' in nooks and crannies and can now see the last of what needs to be done though it will still take time. If you have a lot of digital clutter you may be interested in this post I wrote in the Fall. Getting rid of more things and moving things around is fulfilling my word to 'renew' and more of it will continue going forward.
Jonah arrived in early May 2021 so we have had a refreshing of our relationship, a chance to build and strengthen it as a couple. There was a lot that needed to be done to lay the groundwork for Jonah's new life here in Canada but in between we also relaxed, went out for meals and did a bit of sightseeing. There is a lot more for us in future and now we are together to be able to do it.
The condo needed a lot of small do it yourself (DIY) projects to renew it and make it cosier for us. A lot of progress was made but there are still things that need to be done. I simply ran out of time in 2022. One can read more about it here if interested.
My back and neck also needed some renewing in 2022 due to the bus accident I had in September 2021. I completed the second phase of physiotherapy in December 2022 and feel much better than I did a year ago. I have one more phase of physio to complete. It's called 'active rehab' which consists primarily of exercises to recondition the body so as not to reinjure oneself. I expect that will be started some time in January 2023 and will no doubt take up a lot of time going back and forth and so on.
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| Credit: Image by Freepik |
Sometime ago I mentioned that I wanted to save my files and get a (re) new computer. That was because my computer was very, very old, took up a lot of space and showed signs of being near the end of its life. It was also past the point of being able to update its drivers (for using the printer/scanner) or coping with certain Windows updates. My printer also needs replacing for the same reasons. I finally took the plunge in November 2022 and bought a Mac Mini. This one appealed to me due to its very small size. I didn't set it up until mid-December and that included saving all the former files both on the hard drive and on an external hard drive I purchased as back up. I used the opportunity to get rid of more old files and photos. Now I need to figure out the next steps of how best to deal with photos. I need to get a new camera phone and I'm very tempted to get an iPhone because it would be very efficient due to the ability to sync with the Mac mini. However they are very overpriced for what they offer and I'd actually prefer a Google Pixel phone. Going the latter route means extra steps in dealing with photos. I'm dealing with that issue right now because I now have a Mac computer and an Android phone. It's actually very annoying and a time waster.
I found it very time consuming to deal with all the various needs in 2022. I just didn't seem to have as much energy or perhaps it was the intensity of the work required that made me tired. To make best use of time available I tried reducing other obligations that took up a lot of time; mainly reading. Reading is the activity that I rely on for relaxation or when I'm looking for something quiet to fill my time so it's hard to reduce it when it is something I really enjoy. However, I did manage to reduce my reading from 69 books in 2021 (21, 683 pages) to 46 books (16, 286 pages).
Well friends, this concludes my review of activities related to my word of the year for 2022. I have some thoughts about a new word for 2023 and will post about it soon. Thanks for stopping by. If you have a moment, I'd be interested in whether you set resolutions, goals and intentions or theme words each year. If 'yes' what method do you prefer?
