2020. What. A. Year.
It would be easy to chalk 2020 up to a dumpster fire (in many ways it was) and waste of a year. However, I think it would be a disservice to write it off completely. It was a hard year, there is no doubt about that. We had to adjust so many (if not all) aspects of our lives and that is a hard thing to do. It opened our eyes to real injustices happening in our society and maybe even more so within our more immediate circles of friends and family. Some of us adjusted to working from home, some of us adjusted to having someone home with us when we work from home, some of us lost jobs all together. Even with all of that (and much, much, more), I still think there was good to come out of 2020.
As we are almost one week in to 2021, I thought it was important to take a little more time to reflect on what has happened in mine and Julian’s personal lives. Truth be told, I always get a little anxious around the start of the new year. I tend to be reflective in the month of December and can be hard on myself for not getting to every goal or idea I had throughout the year; usually forgetting to acknowledge what I did accomplish. Then with the upcoming year, I generally have lots of new goals and ideas and want to dive into everything right away. I often already feel behind before the clock strikes midnight because I didn’t start months earlier (this is not an ideal way to ring in a new year). I have gotten better about it over the years, but sometimes these feelings still come up.
I was talking with Julian about this one night; telling him I felt like I barely accomplished anything in 2020. He looked at me and said, “We started a blog and ran a marathon. I think those count for something,” and we both started laughing. So, I guess it wasn’t a total waste. 😉 While these may seem like big things, and they are, they are also goals we’ve thought about doing and working toward for a long time. 2020 happened to be the year they came to fruition.
For others out there, maybe you succeeded in adjusting to working from home while also tackling virtual learning. Maybe you were able to become closer with spouses or your children with all the added family time indoors. Maybe you connected with other family members you may have not talked to in a while through Zoom. Maybe you were able to take more walks and appreciate the beauty in little things like flowers blooming and the changing color of leaves in the fall. Whatever you may have accomplished or excelled at, you should all give yourselves a huge pat on the back. Even if you feel it was just making it through 2020, that in itself is still a big accomplishment! WAY TO GO!
Throughout the year I’ve thought a lot about a quote I keep in mind when I find myself having a hard time: “Sometimes when you’re in a dark place you think you’ve been buried, but actually you’ve just been planted.” In many ways I think this could apply to the year we just had. I don’t think as soon as the clock struck midnight and we entered 2021, things magically changed. We’ve still got a long way to go, but I do think there is a lot to be hopeful and cautiously optimistic for. Cheers to 2021!
