This is 2020 and We’re All In This Together

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As I write this, it’s a day past when this is due. When I get this in, it may even be a day later because I cannot for the life of me remember my password. This seems to be how everything in my life is going lately. Come to think of it, this seems to be how it’s going for many people I talk to lately. And I can’t even say it’s been “lately,” though it has progressively gotten worse. It seems to have started… in March?

My latest example: I got my financial aid suspension lifted, but didn’t find out until AFTER
classes started. When was this suspension from? I failed a class SIXTEEN YEARS AGO.

That’s a whole teenager’s lifetime ago, and I just found out about it a month ago. You know that facepalm emoji? Yeah, insert that here.

I had to fill out a form saying I did the health orientation. I filled it out and sent it. Then, I got a letter saying they are still waiting on that form and cannot complete the process until they get it. So I filled out the form again. I checked the status of it online… I am expecting a letter telling me I need to fill it out to arrive soon. Again.

This is 2020.

This year has been a mess for so many reasons. So many things were canceled, many of which can never be redone (births, high school graduations, funerals, weddings, so many firsts).

People have gotten meaner to each other. People have started yelling at the person in line at the grocery store for wearing a mask, for not wearing a mask, for bringing their children in public, for not working, for working, for dining out, for not dining out locally, the list goes on.

Others are dealing with their own personal issues, and not being able to be social is really
impacting those people. I know that I for one, am one of those people. I joke with my friends that I am not a social person, but when it comes down to it, I relied heavily on social interactions I had on a daily basis for a variety of reasons. When they abruptly stopped, it was very hard in our house for a while. My kids came with me for 95% of the things I did (November Project, running, group runs in other towns, walks/get-togethers, etc), so it was hard for them too. I know I am not alone, and I know others are having a harder time than I am or ever did.

But this is 2020.

And one year is not going to stop us.

Every day, we have a choice. We can choose to look at things in a negative light, to look at all the bad things going on in our lives (did I mention I’m a runner training for an ultra while trying to rehab my knee?), to dwell on the things that aren’t going right. Or we can choose to look at things positively, to look at all the GOOD going on in our lives (did I mention I’m a runner who gets to run with my kids every day?), maybe even soak up the things going right just a little longer than we normally would.

How many people have gone hiking that never would have before? As an avid hiker, I don’t think I have seen nearly as many people as I have these last 6 months ever before on trails – that’s AMAZING! So many people are getting out there (socially distant, of course) and trying new things! Exploring their surroundings, when they never would have been able to or had the time to before. How many people have called/Zoomed that old friend they keep meaning to catch up with but never can? Who has learned to cook new food? Read a new book, or five? I am friends with a guy who is REBUILDING A HOUSE! We are all doing some really amazing things here.

So I just want to end with this…

I know it’s hard. I know our way of life is different. And there are so many tough things going on right now. But we can look at 2020 as the Year of Suck, which some days we all will. Or we could look at it as the Year of New – new books, friends, projects, hobbies, foods. On those really bad days we will all inevitably have, let’s look at all the great things we have done. We are going to come out of this, we are going to make it, we are going to be ok. Insert whichever cliche quote you’d like to right here, but I am going with this one: “Tough times never last, but tough people do.” (Robert H. Schuller). We’ve got this, friends, we’ve really got this.

1 COMMENT

  1. I love this message and wholeheartedly agree. We are all so much stronger than we know, each of us. We’ve got this. What a reset 2020 has been. Thanks Cyndi!

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