2023 In Review: Endings And Beginnings

Two weeks ago, I finished my year of prayer after my father’s death.

It wasn’t fun, or convenient, but it was something I wanted to do. I incorporated it into my weekly schedule, and I went.

Until, suddenly, it was over.

I no longer have to go. I don’t have to feel guilty if I miss a service. I could stop going altogether, and yet…

For years, I had wanted to go to services more often. This has been a goal on my Future Me list since I started it. The first day or two that I didn’t attend, I felt oddly adrift.

Maybe I still want to go? Though not maybe not every day?

Which leads to the bigger question: what else do I want to keep from my past year, and what do I want to leave behind? What do I want to do more of in 2024?

Professional Life

My mentoring program is growing by leaps and bounds (well, from 3 all the way up to 7 mentees) and is a highlight of my week. Keep.

I am planning to get a subspecialty certification and am very excited about it–both the learning and the practicing. Keep.

My recertification exam for Internal Medicine is this spring. Studying MKSAP is OK. But once the exam is over, I will Drop It.

This past year I took very little vacation, between feeling guilty about being off for family emergencies, and then feeling sad. This was great for productivity but lousy for me. This is a habit I plan to Drop.

Friends and Family

This took a back seat this year, as work and religious services consumed much of my time. I would like to rectify that for 2024, keeping in mind that I do plan to take 2 big exams this year.

• Weekend video chats with my different groups of friends: Keep.
• Return all those dinner invitations we are behind on: Start.
• Connect with cousins as well as siblings: Keep up with this.

Finances

Investments did well this year, through no virtue of my own.

I automated much of the action, so that mostly I just had to review the bills at the end of the month when my paycheck came in.

• Automatically invest in the workplace 403(b): Keep.
• Do the backdoor Roth at the beginning of the year: Keep (do tomorrow!).
• Periodically review the interest rate on my accounts and move cash into higher paying accounts: Keep.

However, I am not 100% sure about my automated donations to charity. I think this is better for the charities–they aren’t reliant on me to remember to write a check (or click a button)–but some of the personal benefits of donating to charity have disappeared (see episode 149 of the Milestones to Millionaires podcast).

• Automate contributions from the donor-advised fund. Keep, but think about doing a little extra on this during the year.

Personal highlights

I would put here things that make me a more well-rounded person: enjoying the arts, exercising, travel, etc.

There isn’t much really to talk about here. I limped my way through the year, with a little knitting, some decluttering, a lot of reading.

I’m hoping this is a year (maybe after boards) to do more:

• More knitting, maybe even joining a local knitting hour.
• More performances (attending, that is).
• More reading.
• More entertaining.
• More types of exercise (whether a return to yoga, or trying out different exercise videos when the weather is bad).
• …and even a few religious services.

What hopes and plans would you like to share for 2024? Whatever they may be, I wish you a happy and healthy New Year.