3 Things I Liked About 2020

 

Here we are in 2021 already. I’m sure it relieves some people after everything that happened in 2020 and hoping for a better year this time around. Honestly, I can’t complain too much about 2020. This may surprise some, maybe others not so much. I was talking with a friend the other day, and we both listed the bright spots of the past year.

I mean yes; it was a crappy year. Too many people lost jobs, and/or family members and close friends, a crazy, demented circus known as the U.S. election happened, lock downs, riots, etc. So some of you may wonder how I could find bright spots in all of that? I don’t consider myself an optimistic person although, over the past few years, I’ve been slowly trying to change that.

So here is my list of 3 things I found great about 2020:

1. I took the leap and self-published some stories

For the past two years or so, I’d given this serious consideration for many reasons. So I started writing stories, but they became unruly and I’d start another one, till it became garbage, so I’d start another one and on went the cycle. In 2020 I decided this was it, I’m going to do this. Again, I worked at some things, started other things, and then the lock-down happened.

I thought to myself, you know people are stuck at home now and looking for things to do. This is it. I’m going to write stories so people can pass the time.

Which obviously I did. It was a milestone for certain. I know my first couple of stories aren’t that great. But it’s the fact I did something I loved and some people actually took the time to read the stories.

Then I wrote Her Secret Santa, which to my complete shock and surprise took off like crazy. And I admit, I love that little Christmas story. But if I hadn’t taken the leap, I’d still be in my cycle of starting a story, run into problems, give up, start something else. I broke that cycle at last.

2. I learned a lot about myself

I barely worked my day job this year, mainly because of the virus. So I had the time to take a good hard look at myself. I understand why people don’t do this too often, because it’s hard face what we find out about ourselves.

From ups and downs, I realized several things about myself. From writing three stories that I published, to getting blocked having trouble writing new stories, which caused me to fall back into my start a story, it sucks, start another story, it sucks also, cycle for the months that followed.

I faced the fact I had to make internal changes, which are the hardest changes to not only face, but to make. I had no balance in my life. When I wrote the first three stories, that was all I did. I didn’t exercise, which caused me to put on weight, I wasn’t eating well, I wasn’t keeping up with day-to-day things. All I did was sit in front of the computer and write. If I wasn’t writing, I was wasting time on the internet. It was no wonder I burned out.

After a couple months of being frustrated with my place in life, I began an exercise routine. When the weight didn’t come off after two months of regular exercise, I realized my eating habits had to change. I felt better. In November I went back to work almost full time for most of the month. Which, ended up being a good thing, it broke up my routine and helped to get me out of the rut I was in.

I knew in order to keep up with everything I needed to plan things. I needed to get back to using to-do lists, and planning my year, months and weeks, and setting goals if I was going to keep up with everything.

When I wrote the Christmas stories, I let the exercise slide some and could feel it taking a toll on my health again, but I wanted to get the stories out before Christmas and was on a deadline because of that. But this time I was aware of it.

So I’ve become more aware of things with myself. If I’d worked the day job the whole year as normal, I’m not sure I would have had the time or energy to face these things.

3. I had an excuse for everything

When I put on weight, I told people it was Covid weight. Everyone nodded in understanding. If I didn’t want to go anywhere, I explained that the virus was still out there. If I didn’t get writing done, I was depressed because of Covid.

Basically, no matter what went wrong, I could just blame Covid and everyone would sagely agree and understand. Oh, how grand this is!

But now with a vaccine beginning to circulate and the pandemic surely to end sometime this year, what will I do then?

Well, if you read number two above, I hope to have my life on a better footing by then. Still, it was epic to have something to blame all of our shortcomings on, wasn’t it? Yes. Yes, it was.

So no matter how bad last year was, try to find what might have been good about it for yourself. It might not be many things, after all, I only came up with three, but I’m sure there is more if I look hard enough. Finding the good often helps to get through the bad.

To all of you, here is to an awesome 2021. May all of us have our best year yet.