The holidays can be a time of grief for many who have lost loved ones. A year of particular, collective grief and loss like 2020 has been can make those feelings even harder for everyone. So, to end this god-forsaken year on a positive note, and in the spirit of past reflections (see: 10 Things I Loved About the 2010’s, 8 Things I Loved About 2018), I want to focus on the fact that year cannot just be all terrible, or all joyful. A year is a mishmash of moments, some painful, some happy, some fleeting, some you wish you could live in forever. 2020 was a year like no other, and yet, in some ways, it was just like the rest. And I’d like to take a moment to congratulate you for making it through.
Let’s remember the good parts of a dumpster fire year, shall we? Here are my top 5.
1. The moments of joy
Yes, I am taking this opportunity to say I loved getting engaged 😂 Even when a year brings hardship and sadness for everyone, life, and the human condition, goes on. In 2020, babies were born, people got married, people fell in love. My partner proposed at the end of February, and it wasn’t long afterwards that we got swept up in lockdowns and life under a global pandemic — which made it perhaps all the better that we were able to relish that moment.
For all the loss, this piece is about focusing on the gains, and I loved the happy memories I gained this year. The new music I was able to listen to. New recipes. New puzzles. New people. Here’s to more moments of joy in 2021.
2. Catalysts for societal change
The murder of George Floyd in May, combined with the tinder created by the coronavirus, sparked a flame this summer that finally turned hearts and minds towards the Black Lives Matter movement in a way that hadn’t been accomplished before — though not for the lack of efforts by dedicated activists.
As a white woman with very little knowledge of how to be an anti-racist and the importance of including myself in this movement, I wish I had opened my eyes earlier; but given that I didn’t, I’m grateful to the forces of this year and the voices that continued to make themselves heard that finally led me to listen and learn. Here’s to continuing momentum and picking up steam to make our society better for all people, especially BIPOC and those who have been left behind by the power dynamics of the U.S.
3. The helpers
“When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, “Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.” – Mr. Rogers
It seems like anytime a catastrophe happens — natural disasters, a mass shooting, a tragic event resulting from negligence — this Mr. Rogers quote makes the rounds in the media and across the internet. Frankly, I’m okay with that, because even though the nice man in the red sweater was speaking to children, I think noticing the helpers is a good thing. In a year of global tragedy, when it seemed like all the news was showing was “scary things,” I am so grateful for the helpers.
Even amidst criticisms surrounding who “helpers” should refer to, I think that in the context of this year, it’s clear who the helpers are: the healthcare personnel, the grocery store workers, the volunteers who stepped up, the teachers. We will never be able to thank you enough, and I hope we go forward into a new year remembering the good people who put helping others first even if it meant sacrificing time with their own loved ones.
4. Creative challenges
One of my favorite parts of the last year was when brands I follow put out creative challenges. It would have been easy to feel very stuck, both creatively and physically, but having a challenge to work on helped keep my creative fire stoked. I took a set of parameters and tried to make something interesting out of it — my first timelapse; my first stop motion video. Even when I didn’t have a particular challenge to follow, my creativity muscles were being flexed enough that I wanted to keep using them. I played with Photoshop and my audio equipment. And it didn’t always work out the way I wanted it to — but really, if I took one lesson away from all those hours trying not to throw my laptop out a window, it would be that all the fun is in trying.
5. Going outside
I put this on the list every year, but 2020 was marked by time spent indoors. When stay-at-home orders hit Colorado, I walked outside my apartment building and marveled at the budding trees, the stars in the sky, and the incredible blessing of fresh air. And when we were allowed to expand our wandering a bit, I was so thankful to be within driving distance of so many incredible outdoor spaces. When acrid smoke filled my lungs from the wildfires burning across the West, the need for fresh air and sunlight hit even closer to home. I hope this year helps put access to clean air and outdoor spaces at the forefront of our policy decisions — if the last 12 months weren’t clear enough on this point, humans need outside time.
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I hope this serves as a reminder that even though 2020 was, by pretty much all standards, a difficult year, we shouldn’t write it off as a wash. Sure, I really hope 2021 is better, and I’m hopeful that thanks to the miracle of vaccines and modern science, it will be. But even if I’m wrong, and even if the snake wolves come, we’ll face them together.
Happy new year (finally)!