2020 in Review

I cannot say this is the worst year; but it’s not the best, either. I’ve been through harder times, but this one has been a year of growth and reflection. Sometimes I’ve been reminded of where I need to change, where I need to do better, and sometimes I have been so blessed. I learned that I don’t do well during an earthquake, and that I really like being a hermit. Being blind when everything is falling around you is scary. I was on my bed, so I was perfectly safe, but I couldn’t get OFF the bed because the floor all around me had stuff on it. My side of the bed was piled with books, stuffed animals, and collectable dolls. Damage was minor: some broken boxes the dolls were in. The books and CDs survived their tumble just fine. None of our electronics were damaged, and we only had a couple of cracks in the drywall. Fortunately, only about 20% of our books fell. We probably have over 2,000 books, so that was fortunate. Every CD in the bedroom went down, one of our shelf units tossed everything out, and the cabinet in the bathroom broke. Not bad at all. Just some cleanup, and a lot of aftershocks that kept us all a bit on edge. 

It was five days after everything shut down due to COVID. Stores were out of toilet paper, disinfectant wipes, bottled water. No one knew what to expect, or that the restrictions would last for the rest of the year. But we survived. A neighbor gave us some TP, we learned to ask when shipments came in so we could get what we needed, Steve worked from home, and I found peace in staying in my Mom Cave.

I really like knowing my husband is downstairs working. I like having him around most of the time.

The year gave me time to reflect on what matters most, to see where I need to change and improve, and how much I enjoy writing. I wasn’t able to do much writing for most of the year because I just couldn’t get my brain to get into the groove. There was so much negativity online, on TV and in the world that I was more stressed than usual—even while I also knew everything would be okay. I’ve been through worse. I’ve definitely been through better, too. I’m a deeply religious person. I missed attending church in person, but I could study at home, I could keep the sabbath at home, and I could still feel that I was doing what I could. That helped a lot. 

I don’t remember the tumultuous 60’s, but I have vague memories of the gas shortage, the long lines my parents had to wait in to buy gasoline, having to go on even days. I remember the recession. This year is hard, but they were, too.  That’s not to make light of how people feel, but to put things in perspective. I grew up learning about the heroic men and women of WWII. I still think of them as “The Greatest Generation.” I just had a COVID year. 1918 was a Spanish Flu year. Reading about what happened then also helped me put things in perspective.

So, what are some of the good things of this past year?

I know I don’t have enough food storage. I now have two packs of toilet paper in reserve for another emergency—and two six-packs of Dr. Pepper. I cannot get through my house after an earthquake without someone clearing the way, and then leading me around. But I do get around fine in a power outage.

I have become more compassionate. I. Am fortunate to live where I do, to have friends and family nearby, to have a husband who has a job doing tech support for people who help people do their jobs. I have a home, electricity, internet, and food. 

I can be a hermit who lives in her Mom Cave and still talk to friends online and feel “social.” Being antisocial is helpful this year. My husband needs people. He needs the social interaction. I’m good with Skype and Zoom. The first convention of 2020 was in person, every other one has been virtual. That meant that more people could attend from ore places. Fyrecon, a local writing conference, had attendees from across the country and around the world because it was virtual. 

While I have always appreciated friends from a wide group of interests and lifestyles, I have learned more about what’s going on in other parts of the country this year, and I hope that we can learn to appreciate our diversity instead of condemning each other for being different. 

I’ve lost friends this year, had friends recover from COVID. I appreciate friends and family in a different way now. I appreciate compassion more and am trying to be more compassionate myself.

I look for the good more now than I have before. And it’s there, everywhere. In fact, there’s MORE good going on. People are helping out more. More people are donating to humanitarian causes. More are spending time with family. 

There are also a lot of virtual tours and concerts now. You can tour museums, historic sites, and even Buckingham palace. Audible has audiobooks for kids you can stream free while kids are doing online learning. More people are using Zoom to connect, to do business, to see a doctor. A lot of this, I hope, will continue after COVID. I love the idea of ongoing virtual tours and conferences. We still need to get back to in-person stuff, but there can still be virtual elements.

Medical technology has advanced, which is evident in the new vaccines to prevent COVID. Like the breakthroughs in 1919, we’re seeing the pandemic bring advancements in medicine to help counter the pandemic. 

Sometimes, it’s times of crisis and difficulty where we find our greatest strength and growth. Look for the good. There’s so much around us.