Dear fellow misfits! Hope your past year has been more kind to you than it was to me. 

I have written about superstition and so one of them is big for  me: how you enter a New Year is how the whole year is going to be. When I lived in Europe I tried every New Years to be in a different country hoping one year I’ll finally get to come to my real home: New York. It took many years of going places to get that superstition to kick in and I now believe it was my persistence and determination, with maybe a dash of make believe, but I got home.

I didn’t enter 2023 entirely unhealthy, though I did have an ear infection a week before last Christmas (the 2022 one), but that was definitely the theme of this past year. Those who know me we’re privy to my pain and aches over this past year, but I’ll pen it down here in case you suffered in any way you’d know you’re not alone. 

First couple of months we’re bearable, than the infamous toothache started. Thought I’m petrified of dentist I go on regular basis, because I’m aware it’s less painful than waiting on something to go wrong. However, something did go wrong. I went to see my dentist and that’s when I was first misdiagnosed. After doing X-rays and checking things up it was supposedly TMJ ( never heard of it and as soon as I’d tell anyone…everyone either had it or knew about it). I did what I was instructed to do to relieve the pain, but a week and a half later pain was just as bad. I’ve tried to schedule emergency appointment with my dentist but they didn’t seam to find it all that urgent so I went elsewhere. That’s when I was misdiagnosed for the second time. No offense to the person I saw, but not only was the wrong diagnosis, it also seamed like he was more a sales person than an actual dentist, trying to get me to do a couple of other unnecessary procedures for a ridiculous prices. Went on my not so merry way and hoped for the best. Then almost a month into the pain, on my way to the subway I managed the impossible: as I was getting on the subway I indeed fell in the gap they keep reminding us to mind. To be honest it was a shock, because I never thought my foot could actually fall through the gap, never mind my whole leg. Sounds worse than it is : in my Blanche Dubois fashion I depended on kindness of strangers and they came through. Two people standing by the door pulled me up in one Mississippi. New Yorkers are understated: we act when it matters and because of their swift reaction I was up with nothing broken. Once I realized nothing was broken I proceeded to go on with the day even though first hour or so were in shock. By the end of the day my toothache became unbearable. Obviously I’m not dentist but I know my body and it was clear as a day this was no TMJ as previously diagnosed. That night I couldn’t sleep so the next morning I asked my neighbors if they knew a good dentist I could go see straight away, regardless if it takes my dental insurance or not. Luckily they did and she was able to see me. It was a root canal and it was Memorial Day Weekend.  Can’t even imagine what would have happened if I didn’t get to see her that Friday, because everything was closed due to the holiday weekend. She patched me up until she could do actual root canal and after a month of pain, in a week it finally subsided. That was the beginning of my pilgrimage to the dentist office that ended just a week before this past Christmas. It’s been an uphill battle and a painful one at that so I was hoping to at least avoid the curse of getting sick before the year’s end. Even though that hasn’t been the case in years, I was hopeful. Then couple of days before the holidays it struck me. Yet another Christmas spent in bed with a horrible case of sore throat ( unable to swallow, get the fluids in and just barley getting an antibiotic in ), fever and other side affects that are better left unmentioned.  As I reached out to my friends once I could stand the light of the phone screen, turns out just about all of my friends were in the same state, just different degrees of it.  Not sure what to make of it, but not gonna miss 2023 in any shape, way or form.

 It wasn’t all bad last year, but it was difficult on almost every level. Very grateful for those few people I know are my true friends and always had my back. The ones that were still around last year even though I knew they were friends for a season not a lifetime, they will stay in a rear view mirror of 2023. I’m very happy for all the little ones that joined us last year, because they were wanted and wishing new families health, wealth and happiness as much as world will give. To my friends who went through taught times and those who got devastating news: I’m here for you for whatever you might need.  To all my fellow misfits I wish less hardship and more luck, love and whatever you might wish for yourself.

 Let’s bid farewell to 2023 with a toast from one of my (not actually) guilty pleasure shows: here’s to cheating, fighting, stealing and drinking. If you cheat, may you cheat death. If you steal, may you steal the heart of the people you love.  If you fight, may you fight for your friends and if you drink may you drink us together. Best wishes to anyone reading this!

*** ‘Auld Lang Syne’ sang by: you and your loved ones!