December 31, 2020
I don’t even know what to say. I mean, a year ago today, I was so excited for the new year. “2020 is going to be amazing.” I just knew it! Didn’t we all? It's okay to laugh. We knew not what we were doing.
January 1 wasn’t too shabby. The first day kind of had me going. It made me think I was right!
But January 2 would prove otherwise. Yah. The 2nd day into the new fantastic year, everything changed for me. When I returned to work that day, I was given tragic news – news I won’t go into detail about, but let me just say 2020 definitely had its own agenda.
As my work family and I tried to understand what had happened, we still had work to do and a lot of it. So through feelings of mourning, confusion, frustration, anger and overwhelm, we managed to figure out how to get it done. It was all a blur. Little did we know, that while we muddled through in those early months of 2020, something else was brewing…something that would impact everyone on a global level, and we would be left trying to figure it out all over again.
I don’t need to tell you what happened. You know what I’m talking about because YOU were there. It doesn’t matter who you are. It doesn’t matter where you live. Your life was impacted by “it” in some way, shape, or form in 2020.
There’s no denying the devastation and chaos that ensued because of the global pandemic and, let's face it, political insanity. There’s no denying the pain, suffering and loss. And there’s also no denying the perseverance and determination of mankind. Amidst the destruction, people – everyday normal people – along with the geniuses of our time, stepped up and gave their time, energy, brain power, and who knows what else to keep “life as we know it” going. The ingenuity that has surfaced because of this catastrophe is unbelievable. When you look at 2020, the negative is obviously there, but it’s so hard to look past the goodness that, too, remains in "its" wake.
I know I have no right to write about “it”. I speak of these things well aware I have little or no experience in these matters. It’s really all hearsay on my part. I’m not political. I rarely watch or read the news. I don’t have an occupation that puts me front and center of anything “worldly”. So this is all just my perspective behind “rose-colored glasses” where I see only glimpses of reality. But when I think about the sacrifices others have made because of “it,” I am reminded of how little I’ve given and how much I have gained this year. I feel guilty and small. Or maybe a kinder way to phrase it is, “I feel humbled”. I know “it” is certainly beyond me, a lady from rural Nebraska.
But this lady has made sure to count her blessings through it all. If you’ve been following our page or our blog, you already know what we’ve been up to this year. And I have to admit, that while things are different than I had expected, 2020 has kind of been the best year for my family. We’ve definitely missed time with our family and friends, but there has been a sense of peace in knowing that it has not been just a conscious decision to avoid them. It’s been the RESPONSIBLE decision. I think knowing that we’ve been doing “the right thing” this year (for the most part), no matter how difficult or heartbreaking, has made it easier to let ourselves enjoy what we have been able to do. The rat race slowed down and my heart has been so full this year.
2020 has shown me that our entire world can change in an instant and that we have the ability to adapt and change with it. 2020 has shown me that there certainly is a “time to every purpose under heaven”. (“Turn! Turn! Turn!” by the Byrds should definitely be the song of 2020…I mean…it IS 2020. Just sayin')
My feelings towards this upcoming new year are mixed. Last year, I was so confident. So certain. So positive. Now? Now, I think I’m just…hopeful? I’m not sad or mad. I’m not frustrated. I’m uncertain, for sure. We have a long road ahead of us, but I see this new year as a chance to START the year with realistic expectations and much thicker skin. I have big ideas and goals I hope to accomplish in 2021, but I’m prepared to pivot those things if I need to because I know it will be okay, regardless. 2020 has taught me that. Yah. I think 2020 was like “Bootcamp for Life”. Apparently, we all needed a refresher course! And despite being exhausted, I think we’re ready for whatever is coming next.
So congratulations on surviving the lessons of this year and CHEERS to 2021! May it be a year of opportunity and many blessings!
God Bless America! God Bless the World! And Good-Riddance 2020!
Happy New Year, Friends!
Comments