Happy New Year, friends! We did it! We made it to the 2020 finish line.
Every year I make a retrospective video and spend some time reflecting on the past 365 days. Thinking back on 2020 has been...conflicting, I suppose? To be honest, I'm sort of at a loss for the right word to really summarize what this year has been.
There were, obviously, struggles. A lot of anxiety, a lot of worry, a lot of uncertainty, a lot of frustration. A lot of constantly second guessing choices made and wondering if we're doing the right thing for ourselves, our family and our community. It was a year of canceled plans and isolation from family and friends. It was a year of loss and grief - we have been fortunate to not lose anyone to the virus itself, but we did lose my grandfather and were unable to mourn him together as a family as we otherwise would have. And so many have lost so much more. It was also a year of unrest and hate and hurt, of arguing and division. There were times when things nearly felt hopeless.
But, to be fair, our family had it a lot easier than many, and for that I am exceedingly grateful - Eric already worked from home, and his work has continued to keep him very busy; I'm able to be home with the kids and we have the space, time and resources to devote to virtual school, plus they attend a great school with teachers who work hard to support them; AND my children are unicorn children who are great, cooperative, hardworking virtual learners. I am so grateful that we were able to adjust to pandemic life as easily as we did.
And, I realized some time ago that even in the hardest times, if you take a step back and look closely, there's beauty in the situation: true, pure, selfless, love-thy-neighbor type of beauty. Today, I am also enjoying remembering all the good things that have happened in the world around us this past year.
When schools initially closed, zoos and museums and people all over hopped online to keep children entertained and engaged. We have been able to "visit" places and watch performances from all over the country that we otherwise would never have seen (including our nieces' and nephew's piano recital this month!). Locally, people drew rainbows on their sidewalks for children to find when they went outside, and built scavenger hunts throughout the neighborhood.
When grocery store shelves were bare, local restaurants sold groceries to the public to fill the gaps. For some time we bought our chicken and pasta from Maple Street Biscuit Company and our eggs by the dozen from Metro Diner. People rushed to fill a need where they saw one and make things easier for their community.
When the CDC started recommending masks, crafters across the country ran their sewing machines ragged making them for their loved ones or to donate to local people in need. When elastic was hard to find, they were cutting up fitted bedsheets to use that elastic for ear straps. Creativity for a noble purpose!
When I asked for help with a drive-by birthday parade for Ellie and birthday video for E.J., I was overwhelmed by the response of our friends and family. It was so touching to see everyone so willing to give of their time to make the day special for our kids.
It often felt like you had to dig through the negative to find it, but if you paid attention, positive stories were plentiful: teachers giving their absolute all to virtual students. Daily applause for healthcare workers. People using their talents to entertain their neighbors from their driveways. Breweries shifting course to produce hand sanitizer, and athletic uniform companies making masks. Zoom lifting time limits on holidays so people could virtually celebrate with distant family and friends without restriction. Examples abound of people giving of themselves to others, trying to ease the burden for their neighbors and bring joy where they could.
And, this year may have looked very different, but there was something kind of fun in coming up with new ways to celebrate the usual events. We were forced out of our rut of tradition, to think creatively about what really is important to us and how best to celebrate it. If nothing else, it was a breath of fresh air, and maybe we even figured out some fun new things to add to our celebrations in the future.
