My 2022

Wow, how silent this year was on my side!.. I would never have thought that I'd abandon my blog for 3/4 of the year, but here we are. With all what's going on in the world, it was only natural to distance myself from both my blog and social platforms in general, while trying to attempt to stay in the moment. The status quo of our reality is quite brittle, as, I guess, we all have learned this year. Nevertheless, I want to continue my tradition of end-of-the-year review, so here it is, my 2022.

After my last post in March, I started doing couple of things: learning Ukrainian language and trying to do as much as I can to help people of Ukraine. That's how I ended up as a teacher of Lithuanian language for Ukrainian refugees here in Vilnius. I met the most wonderful people, many of them became my friends and although the circumstances that we met under are far from joyous, I hope that after the victory, our connections will only go stronger. All I can say is Слава Україні!

2022 also became the year when we finally moved out of the flat that we rented for 10 years. Although our house is still under renovation and we live in the future guest house/ creative studio, the fact that our little family lives in the village (although technically it still counts as suburbs) and can enjoy all the lovely aspects of silent country life makes me incredibly happy. This year I was able to track all the changes in the nature, give more attention to my flowers and vegetables, and enjoy the cool shades of our old apple trees during the summer's heat.

This year was also the year of travelling. After sitting out 2 years of my life, I tried to see as much world as I could, because, well, as we experienced, you never know. Three countries I've visited twice this year: Latvia, Estonia, and Sweden. In July I had my first ever trip to London! Although I was participating in conference, so little sightseeing was done, I was completely loving my time there, especially the wonderful V&A museum and their collections! Just couple of weeks ago I was in Vienna (Austria), indulging myself in all the little pleasures offered in Christmas markets all over the city. 

In September, me, my husband and my mother-in-law went for vacation in Greece. It was also the first time in the country for all three of us, so we rented a car and did a tour around the Corinthian Gulf. I intend to write one or two separate posts on this topic in January, so stay tuned!

All in all, personally, 2022 was not the worst year. However, due to war in Ukraine I found myself constantly asking myself, is it immoral to be happy when there are people getting hurt and dying just some hundred kilometers away. For some months I felt paralyzed by the fact that just like this, basically in a blink of an eye, peace can be lost and people forced to leave their home... But seeing all these brave Ukrainians and their inspiring photos, videos, and memes about the war, I am more than convinced that in  2023 we'll witness their victory. 

   All I can wish for myself in the upcoming year is, first of all, peace, both around me and inside my mind. I want to continue on keeping a healthy work-life balance, be less obsessed with details and perfect results and enjoy those little sparks of everyday magic that I was unable to see for quite some years.

I wish you all happy and prosperous new year, may it be the one where our collective faith in humanity is restored! See you all in 2023!

Photos © Aesthastic