Sky Scrapers and New Beginnnigs (2020)

This piece is the first none academic/work-related thing I have written in months. And to be honest, I am nervous about writing because I am worried everything I write will sound stiff and formal, but alas, the year is coming to an end (by the time you read this, it will be 2021, actually), and I had to share some bits and pieces.

So, 2020 was \”a year\”, right??? I don\’t have to go into details (I certainly don\’t want to), but I\’m sure everyone can agree that 2020 was a year for the books. So much happened, sad and tragic things, and many of us wish we had skipped the year. Personally, I often wish I had bypassed the year. It was like the year was out to get me (insert eye roll). But I survived, as did everyone reading this, so yay us!

Usually, I would start by sharing everything I learned from the year, but today, I am not here to share lessons because the only thing I learned from 2020 is \”everyone has a breaking point\”(a story for another day). Instead, today I am here to say we made it through a really rough year. We walked through uncharted waters, and we are still here and standing. Sure, some of us are a bit bruised and nursing wounds here and there. Some of us picked up coping mechanisms that we will probably have to unlearn later on, but it doesn\’t matter, not really. Because at the end of the day, we are still here. And every day that we are here and alive means that it\’s a day and an opportunity for something new to happen.

It\’s okay if this year rocked your boat, and you have to start building from scratch. It\’s okay if you\’re tired and you feel like you made a mess of the year. We made it through the year, and that is enough.

So wear it with pride. Wear the fact that you pushed through this year with pride because it was an uphill climb full of traps and hurdles, but you\’re here.

I won\’t say \”next year will be better\” in that annoying way that we say things without thought for what that actually means. But instead, I\’ll say this. 2020 showed us just how much we can take; it showed us our strengths and our resilience, and sure, 2021 is another 365 days of unknowns, but we know ourselves just a little better, and if we could make it through 2020, then there is hope for 2021.

Finally, I\’ve always been an advocate for being thankful, and while it\’s been a challenge this year, I\’m sure we can all find one or two things to be grateful for. So how about we start the new year being thankful for the little things that made us smile in 2020?

P.S. \”To everyone who lost a loved one this year, I see you, and I see your pain. You are so much stronger than you know, and I admire the strength you have shown this year.\”