The Things I Bought in 2021 That Are Unique to My Aging Lifestyle

As 2021 comes to an end, the influx of news in review articles has begun to hit the web. Some are good, some bad.

Articles with titles like The Top Five News Articles of 2021, The Celebrities We Lost, The Number of Politicians Involved in Sexual Lawsuits, and The Top 10 New Vegan Recipes are rampant. The list is endless, and the stories won't end until around the middle of January.

This year I decided to put together a listicle and share it. I divided my article into two sections: consumer products I purchased that stand out as unique and helpful, and a shoutout to the year's outstanding event.

I intend to remind myself and others that amongst the havoc of 2021, there were still some shining moments.

There is something about buying things that make us feel good.

Reflecting on the last 12 months, I realized I didn't buy much. My purchases included a few gifts, groceries, pet supplies, audiobooks, and gas & oil for my car.

Most of what I bought is mundane, boring, and almost unmentionable. But in their little way bought me an ounce of joy.

The items that stand out are a small coffee maker, a wireless charging stand, and a pair of earbuds. There is a story behind every item:

1. I replaced a broken Keurig Coffee maker with a new one. I didn't read the description well enough to realize it was a miniature coffee maker equivalent to the ones in hotel rooms. The purchase was a mistake and my family shamed me unmercifully until I got them a grown-up machine. I put the mini in my master bathroom and use it exclusively for my morning coffee, not sharing it with anyone. I found that it packs well for travel. I no longer have to use the germy ones in hotel rooms. Thus my mistake became valuable.
2. I bought a wireless charging stand for my smartphone. It works better than micro USB cords. The stand leaves no choice where to place the phone for an optimal charge and doubles as a stand to watch movies—an ounce of incredible inherent value.
3. I invested in a high-end pair of earbuds with a great noise cancellation feature. I referred to them as my anti-hearing aid devices. While the grandkids tell me about their crazy teenage problems, they don't realize I can't hear them. It's incredible how good they sound and how better they block noise. Sadly, they disappeared in the washing machine when I forgot to take them out of my pocket. A valuable asset to be replaced in 2022.

That's my list of notable purchases in 2021. It's a pretty sad list but satisfactory. Here are a few honorable mentions that I spontaneously bought:

1. A Prime Ribeye Tomahawk from the local butcher. I'm the only one in the family that enjoys well-aged and marbled premium beef.
2. A box of Harry's 5 Blade Razor cartridges with a tube of Cremo Shaving cream. This is a fantastic shaving experience.
3. A bottle of Balvenie Portwood 21-year-Old Scotch. A phenomenal sipping Scotch with a delicate taste profile that is exquisite.
4. An occasional Lox and Bagel sandwich from the local Bagel Shop. Their fresh Everything Bagel slathered with cream cheese topped with fresh lox, red onion, and a slice of tomato is a monthly indulgence.
5. I found a pound of fresh roasted Ethiopian Yirgacheffe Coffee beans at a small local roaster in the city. Brewed with a French Press coffee maker, the flavor profile is beyond expectation for an afternoon drink.

Thinking about it, the few things I bought spontaneously aren't that bad after all.

The other part of my yearly review is finding the one positive world event that is outstanding.

Like my shopping habits, I had difficulty identifying an event that stood out. That is until I noticed a short news report the other day and followed up with some research.

I forgot, in 2018, NASA launched a space probe with a mission to explore the sun — The Parker Solar Probe.

NASA recently announced the probe has arrived at its destination. In the sun's outer atmosphere, it is around 91 million miles from earth. Its mission is to penetrate and send back an abundant amount of data. The probe is alive among the harshness of heat, doing its job and communicating with its NASA handlers. This space event overrides the work of Amazon's Blue Origin, Virgin Galactic, and SpaceX.

A quick search on Medium yielded several articles. The most interesting was written by James Maynard, a degreed Physicist, and published in The Cosmic Connection:

https://medium.com/the-cosmic-companion/parker-solar-probe-touches-suns-atmosphere-for-first-time-2f761a3fe298

A remarkable engineering and scientific feat that is outstanding.

As we end 2021, my thoughts go out to the victims and families of the recent swarm of tornados in the midwest, victims of violent crimes and unwarranted mass shootings, plus those affected by the immigration crises and Covid, and the hundreds of Americans still left in Afghanistan.

Along with all other perils that extend beyond this article that harmed the world's population, 2021 is a year to put behind us.

Please enjoy the holidays.