22 good things to look forward to in 2022

South Africa’s Good Things Guy Brent Lindeque is sharing a few brilliant things you can look forward to this year.

“The last two years have been tough but like a bear coming out of hibernation, I’m shaking off the 20/21 chaos and opening my heart to all the good that is to come in 2022,” says Brent.

“We should be excited to head outdoors, take in the beauty that is our country and embrace every good thing we can find. Looking ahead to this year, I feel really positive. Why? Because I aim to make it a positive one and you can too.”

So here are 22 good things to look forward to in 2022: 

• More long weekends in 2022 – Check out all the South African public holidays here.
• Tiger Power – 2022 is the year of the Tiger, the Water Tiger to be more specific. The Chinese calendar shows that it starts on the 1st of February, and with that comes strength and bravery. The last Tiger year was in 2010 and that was a great year in SA… Just saying!
• Soccer fan? 2022 is the year of the Fifa World Cup in Qatar. Get your Vuvuzela ready!
• Rugby sevens fan? The Rugby Sevens World Cup is set to take place at the Cape Town Stadium this September!
• A very wet summer may not fit into your tanning plan but for our dams and farmers, it is brilliant. 2022 looks like a good year for rain so get your water tanks ready – Southern Africa is a drought region so save water while things are looking good.
• Back to sport – The Winter Olympics takes place in Beijing – Now who doesn’t love a bit of Curling with their morning coffee?
• Kruger National Park in the winter – There is nothing better than waking up early, pouring a bit of condensed milk in your coffee, and setting off to find the iconic wildlife that roams Kruger National Park. The park is brilliant year-round, but winter is our favourite time to visit.
• Plant some trees! The SA government has launched an initiative to plant 10 million trees.
• South African Blue Flag beaches. We have some truly incredible beaches you can visit year-round and this year there are 51 full-status beaches and 33 pilot beaches.
• Good Harvests. If 2020 and 2021 were the years of the at-home gardener then 2022 will be the year of good harvests. After two years of practice, trial and error for many newbies will now have things successfully popping up in their gardens. What are you harvesting in 2022?
• The BEST movies. All those sequels, remakes, trilogies, and closing stories you have been waiting for are being released in 2022. Think Top Gun, Fantastic Beasts finale, Jurassic World, Halloween, Scream, Jackass, The Batman, Legally Blonde, and like a billion new Marvel movies (lol) – the upcoming titles are endless, and we are very excited!!!
• The highlight of 2022 concerts is Justin Bieber but there will be loads of local concerts to attend as the entertainment industry revives itself.
• On the topic of entertainment, 2022 will be another year of good TV! More and more streaming services pop up each year and South Africa is rumoured to be getting access to a few new international services in 2022.
• Stargazing, moon watching, sunrises, and sunsets. 2022 will be filled with exciting sky-related events. From several supermoons to lunar eclipses and some expected meteor events. Living in South Africa you know you will be getting your fair share of stunning sun activity.
• Malaria is set to have its butt kicked in 2022 as talks of the Malaria vaccine being clinically tested are underway. Malaria is a threat even here in South Africa and it is great news that we will finally be able to manage it.
• Ubuntu – We have noticed that no matter how hard things get, the spirit of Ubuntu ripples through South Africa. So, you can bet you will see more of it this year.
• Grow. Grow your mind by using 2022 to visit museums, listen to interesting talks, observe art, read books, challenge your own opinions, work on your health, walk through a forest, take deep breaths and simply grow.
• Surprises – One can guarantee that 2022 will be filled with surprises. That is one of the essences of life, to be surprised by how it unfolds. We can prepare and plan until with thinking it is all sorted, and life will pop in as a surprise.
• Future Tech – 2022 we will see the next generation space race unfold as countries and private companies explore more of space; cars, phones and computers are all changing and this year we will see new tech like never before. AI advancements, robotics and a world of innovation are also on the cards. That is pretty epic!
• Let’s not forget, you get to celebrate your birthday this year. However old you may be turning – Happy Birthday to you!
• Here is to never getting tired of Taylor Swift’s “22” because this year, we are feeling 22! This “oldie” but goodie is our anthem for the year.
• And finally 365 days’ worth of good news stories delivered to you daily on all social media platforms from The Good Things Guy. We always aim to find at least one good news story every day – these days it’s anything between six and twelve stories a day.