My State of the World report

We are now a little over halfway through 2022, which is when I like to look at where we have been and are headed.

According to an article in Forbes Personal Finance section,  Social Security recipients may be due for a big raise next year due to the looming inflation.

They write, “The pain of high inflation is often harshest on the fixed income budgets of current retirees. The only bright light of the relatively recent sky-high spike in inflation is the potential for a huge Social Security cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) in 2023. Estimates of the Social Security COLA in 2022 (for 2023) have been in the range of 8.6 to 10.5%. We have not seen a cost-of-living adjustment at this level since 2009.

The 2022 Social Security cost-of-living adjustment will not kick in until January 2023. So, retirees will likely continue to see their retirement incomes stretched thin over the next six months. The prices of everything you can't live without seems to be going up, from mortgage rates or rent, food and even healthcare.”

Before you get too excited, the latest update from the Motley Fool, on the same subject, cautions us to expect an increase in our benefit out-of-pocket costs.

And so it goes…

More people that I know personally, in the past six months, have gotten COVID. Milder cases because of their vaccinations, but COVID nonetheless. It seems the latest strain is on the rise again.

Hotter weather is scorching our country and the world at large, but so far, our area has not hit the 100s. Air conditioner sales and repairs are on the rise. For a while, it seemed summer would never arrive. Now that it is here, it’s making up for lost time.

We are allowed large gatherings again but are warned to mask if we have any health issues … and what senior doesn’t?

We can travel without masks on airplanes if we so desire…and if the airlines are not on strike or overbooked.

Families and friends can once again gather for celebrations: birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, and those that celebrate the live of loved ones who have passed.

So far, we have not been inundated with smoke from out-of-control fires, and hospital beds are not as hard to come by.

Our garden is thriving as are many others’. Folks who haven’t had one for years are now seeing the wisdom of having their own vegetables fresh and free. Grocery prices have soared and the food banks are already running low and asking for more donations.

Election time is here, and once again, and all across the country, we are asked to vote for the least objectionable candidate.

Interestingly enough, none of the above seems to bother me very much. Perhaps it is my age, but I know that the earth will continue to turn, regardless of what I read in the newspapers, online or hear on TV.

Babies will be born that will grow up to be brilliant scientists, doctors and teachers. Diseases will be conquered and vanquished. Kindness, compassion and generosity will make a comeback.

After all, we have been through much worse. How could our future not be brighter than the current predictions?

Kathleen Anderson writes this column each week from her home in Olympia.  Contact her at  kathleen@theJOLTnews.com or post your comment below.