The Year 2020: Lessons and Final Farewell
2020…
Boom. Smack. Crush.
These are the words I hear when I think about this year. Many had hoped for a promising year for a brand new decade. The roaring twenties weren’t going to be the same. No one could have fathomed the tumultuous year we have endured.
From the Covid-19 virus, surprising deaths, social movements, layoffs of millions, elections, climate change, and a world pandemic we have seen it all. 2020 has been put into many words. A decade of events added to one year. It is as if the Creator himself said “give them all we’ve got!” It is as if time itself skipped ahead without prior knowledge.
Despite this, there is something we must see. Beneath it all is something we must now approach and long to understand. To take what we have learned and start anew. This is of course easier said than done. There is so much to unpack from this season’s latest tv show (I feel as if we are on a televised program at times.) that a few days set aside for reflection might not be enough.
Take as much time as you need to destress and prepare yourself and your family for what is ahead. Sadly, the year may end but our problems are only beginning. We have a lot still to figure out with the coming months and possibly years. What we do in the next moments will send echoes into the future and eternity.
“History repeats itself.” Is a far truer quote than we can ever imagine. Now is not the time to point blame or argue we had all year to do that. 2021 slowly beacons a new hope, desire, encouragement, and plan. With so many things piling onto us from 2020 it would be our best bet to breathe…
Simply breathe. Take a long deep breath, hold, and release. You made it. Take a moment to rest if you need to. When you are ready begin again.
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As we may be only human, there is power in that still. The resiliency to keep fighting when all hope is lost. That is the very thing we need to tap into as we approach 2021. Our fragility and vulnerability are what make us human.
This year was a lot. Simply put. We have all known someone who has either contracted covid or passed from covid. The many events may have not played out like we would have liked but we were here to witness one of the greatest shifts in humanity.
Many people have taken up a new hobby, reconnected with loved ones, found their calling, started a business, returned to themselves, had a baby, and etc. This may look different for everyone. The idea is still the same. Even in times of turmoil, destruction, and confusion, there is hope.
From the return of the animals, fish, and dolphins. To our selfless volunteers and medic. To the voice of a nation, donations, aid, darkness coming to light, and the breaking down of the old. The light has dimmed but never disappeared. This is all the process of life. The world is reprogramming itself and making the way for something new to be birthed.
Now more than ever we need you. Yes, you. We need your gifts, strengths, knowledge, energy, and ideas. It is time to birth a new age and a new way of being. 2020 was the year of catastrophic change. These times are never the easiest but often the most necessary. Wine doesn’t become wine without the crushing of the grapes.
You will never realize your potential without pressure. 2020 was the pressure for a lifetime. So think…what did you learn this year? What did you gather to take with you into the next? What changes can you make for now and the rest of your life?
We get to choose the kind of world we live in. Right now, in this instance, we can choose love and hope or stay where we have always stayed. As you see the latter made us think we were progressing and achieving, but we were not. Life requires balance- give and take. We have taken so much and now it is time to give. To remember who we are as beings and give back to the planet, each other, and ourselves. For we all deserve a world that is safe, loving, and peaceful.
For it is a sign of the times that nothing will stay the same. In fact, the only constant thing is change. So let’s not run from it, but rather embrace it. To do so, we have to take a good look at where we are on all fronts. This year has given us that opportunity. Take with you these lessons and continue to run your race.
My hope for you all is a wonderful, peaceful, and prosperous year. Let’s make 2021 a great year. Despite all of the damage, pain, and suffering that came from 2020. We can finally take the lemons and make lemonade!
Cut. Squeeze. Drip.
So Cheers! Drink up. The world is about to get more interesting.
By the way,
Happy NEW YEAR! Stay safe and God Bless!
Andriika C.
