As much as we were all looking forward to celebrating Betty White’s 100th birthday on January 17, (and as sad as we all were to see her go,) it turns out that the legendary Hollywood actress and pop culture icon did us a tremendous favor by passing away on New Year’s Eve. Betty, a comedic genius, always had an uncanny sense of timing, and she knew exactly what she was doing we she left us on December 31.
Let’s face it; 2021 was rough. Over 400,000 Americans died of Covid-19, thousands of treasonous criminals mounted an insurrection at the U.S. capitol, dozens of tornadoes and hurricanes ravaged entire communities, and devastating wildfires scorched tremendous swaths of the American West. I think it’s safe to say that most of us were ready to close the book on 2021.
Betty White’s passing was a terrible loss for humanity, and because it happened on December 31, it came as the final punctuation mark at the end of the sad, tragic, and spiritually draining story that was 2021. By timing her death perfectly, Betty ensured that 2022 would not begin with yet another loss. Instead, 2022 has begun, as it should, with optimism and the opportunity for a fresh start.
It always surprises me when people say they don’t celebrate the start of a new year. These folks see January 1 as just another day on the calendar. “The Earth completed another orbit of its nearest star? Big deal,” they say joylessly. I think the fact that most of us survived another cosmic lap around the solar system is actually a really big deal, and I think we deserve to celebrate.(I also marked five years of sobriety on New Year’s Day, and I think that’s worth celebrating, too.)
As we look ahead at the 2022 calendar, we don’t see days marred by tragedy after tragedy like we do when we look back at the 2021 calendar. Instead, the pages of the new calendar are refreshingly blank and utterly full of possibilities.
Perhaps 2022 will be the year you finally embark upon the adventure of a lifetime. You might become the publisher of your local newspaper or write the Great American Novel. Maybe you’ll join a rock band, set a Guinness World Record, or find your soulmate. Anything can happen in 2022. Anything EXCEPT the death of Betty White, that is.
When we look back at the 2022 calendar, 360 days from now, we will not see the words “Betty White died today” written anywhere on it. Betty was known as a thoughtful and generous person, and perhaps her greatest act of compassion was allowing us to celebrate her life on New Year’s Eve rather than letting her death cast a dark shadow over the new year.
Betty White lived for 99 years. Some of us, despite our official age, never really live at all. We find ourselves trapped in dead-end jobs or loveless marriages. We become addicted to the false reality of social media or the pain-numbing relief of drugs and alcohol. We let fear influence our actions—and our inaction. Instead of living life to the fullest, we merely exist, and this wasting of our fleeting and precious time on Earth is the most tragic loss of all.
Betty White seemed to understand this. She made the most of her 99 years, and when her time here came to an end, she left us wanting more. We should all live in such an impactful and meaningful way that our passing—even after 99 years of life—will leave people wishing they had more time with us.
I don’t know about you, but I intend to live my life to the fullest in 2022. I will treasure each moment I get to spend with my family. I will travel to new places and meet new people. I will read and write more. I will help others, and I will do what I can to make my community a better place. I will root for the Cardinals. I will buy another hotrod. I will spoil my grandbaby rotten. I will laugh and I will cry and I will live—really live—each day as if it might be my last.
Betty White lived that way for 99 years, and if I live to be 99, then that means my next 49 years will be the best years of my life.
Happy New Year. I hope that 2022 will be your best year ever.
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