How Do You See 2020?
It’s all in how you look at it.
2020 was a year of great loss for so many of us. To start my year, my beloved mom passed away. It was bittersweet, as she’d wanted to be in heaven for a long time. Looking back, I know it was a blessing to lose her when we did. She lived to be 90 and had a full life. I often think about the fact that she left this world before Covid 19, and her family was able to be with her until she took her last breath; for that, I am grateful.
I know I’m not alone when it comes to losing a loved one. So many have succumbed to Covid and more. Many have lost their businesses, livelihood, their homes, savings, but most importantly, their way of life. We are all connected and the ripple created by one of us, in a sense, affects us all. We are a people who need connection…real connection; we need touch.
I’m a hugger. Always have been. To this day, I still hug and kiss my siblings, hug my friends, and greet others with a handshake, until it’s time to say goodbye. By then, it usually ends with a hug. We eat together, pray together, laugh, play, and learn together. What we’ve gone through in 2020 is frankly, unnatural.
But what I see…
Oftentimes we don’t appreciate what we have until we’ve lost it. I wasn’t born yet, when people celebrated in the streets because WWII was over, but I imagine it was overwhelmingly joyful. I know when Covid is over it will be a gradual reintroduction to a normal society and not a huge celebration in the streets, but what a time it will be to see people greeting one another with a big smile, a hug, a hand shake, and perhaps a kiss on the cheek without fear or worry. So, I will appreciate the season that we are in, knowing that one day we’ll be able to rejoice with the knowledge that we overcame this pandemic.
What I also see is growth, fortitude, strength, perseverance, adaptation, ingenuity, creativity, and a can-do attitude, even when we’ve felt defeated, depleted, discouraged, and disenfranchised. Certainly, there has been great loss, pain, and suffering. We can all recognize that, but life is full of those things even without a pandemic. It’s how we chose to “flip the script” that moves us forward in hope of a better day. It’s in these times when we witness greatness, love, compassion, and wisdom.
What lens will you look through?
We might not see 2020 as a year to celebrate. We might even look at it as a year in which we’d like to remove from our memory. For those of us that look through the lens with 20/20 vision and see nothing but heartache, I hope that you’ll clean those glasses off with a fresh cloth. Wipe off the smudges and tears, and see it for what it truly was…you survived, grew, and may have even learned something new. Use it as a starting point for better days ahead, and celebrate with a hopeful heart.