RESET-REFLECT-RESTART
I was ready to be done with 2019 last December since I had just endured what was by far probably the worst Christmas I can remember having. The death of a cousin on Christmas Eve on top of the death of my neighbors beloved dog, with whom I was spending Christmas with. Two families in mourning for very different reasons. In addition to the fact that I was still mourning the death of one of my aunts…2020 couldn’t come soon enough- little did I know what was coming.
The world received a massive reset with the pandemic that we have all been officially living since March.
I had high expectations - as I think most of us do when we start a new year. There was news of COVID-19 by the beginning of January, but it seemed so distant until it wasn’t, and everyone was sent into quarantine in March. So began the pandemic of 2020.
If I had thought 2019 was bad...that was just the first course - 2020 served up the main course of a treacherous year. A year that we probably all wish we could forget and are ready to move on from.
With every new order, recommendation, mandate and restriction came the uncertainty of what would become of our daily lives. I had read an article somewhere that described the back and forth of what we were allowed to do and when as whiplash. Seemed pretty accurate and relatable given that every day it was something new. It was exhausting. Trying to keep up with a semblance of a routine that could no longer be didn’t seem as tenable as it once was. At least for me it wasn’t…It still isn’t.
Businesses pivoted, businesses closed for good, businesses closed temporarily, re-opened with restrictions, shut back down and re-opened again…people got sick, many many died, and many many didn’t. Some kids went to school, some kids didn’t…homeschooling was now a reality for many parents as was working from home the new norm. At first you couldn’t gather at all, then you could in limited numbers socially distanced, then slowly the amount of people you could gather with increased a little more - now I don’t even know what we are at. Do we hug? Elbow? Mask? No mask? Six feet apart - more feet apart...eat in a bubble, outside, inside…what next!?!?!
Death is part of life but there was no escaping the amount of death the entire world was all suffering at once as a result of this pandemic. Given everything, I don’t think anyone can really be “ok” right now. I think we are all in survival mode doing the best that we can with what we have because the alternative is well, much more depressing. Going out to eat is no longer a mundane decision- for some it’s a matter of life and death; you can be shamed for it. Forget about travel. Don’t even mention your plans- if you are…you may get completely shunned out of some of your social circles.
For the record- I have traveled.
As if we weren’t already a divided country the pandemic definitely amplified the divisions. There was plenty of time to reflect upon this…protests, riots, debates…it was everywhere on our TVs, in our families and of course our social media platforms. There was no escaping the divide.
It’s natural to have disagreements, differences of opinions, ways of life etc…but taking those differences and exploiting them to cause further divide just doesn’t sit right with me. It downright sickens me. Politics will always be a source of disagreement and discourse. However, the discord seeped into our everyday lives eroding everyday relationships. I think most of us would agree that being this divided doesn’t do us any good as a whole.
It’s clear now more than ever that we live in an interconnected world and that not only do we need one another- we depend on one another. If we don’t find a way to come together not just in our politics but in our interpersonal lives and friendships the coming months will continue to be bleak.
There will still be death and disagreements, but I am hopeful for less of it. Not just because we have vaccines that will aid with the pandemic and a new administration that will inevitably change our day-to-day politics. But because after a year of what we just lived I am hopeful that 2021 is truly a restart for everyone- less reacting more listening, more healthy discourse, compassion, empathy, sympathy, acceptance, acts of kindness, patience, and understanding.
We are not meant to be perfect so there is never going to be a perfect year but striving to be and do better than what we have been doing seems like a pretty realistic goal that the world can have for 2021.
I for one am just ready to get on with it. Whatever 2020 will be remembered as in the history books for me it will just be remembered as the year that the world got a massive reset-enabling us to reflect so we could restart.
