My Hope For You in 2021: Take 2020 With You

0

Take 2020 With You2020. What. A. Year. There are so many words I could say about this year. So many feelings. Let’s just get out of this year. Let’s forget about it. Let’s just move on. But as we enter the highly anticipated, can’t get here soon enough, New Year of 2021, my hope for you is that you don’t completely ditch 2020. Don’t forget what we learned, what we did, and how we survived. Hold 2020 close. Take 2020 with you into a New Year full of hope and change.

We overcame in 2020. No matter what 2020 threw at us, we did it. We can overcome. We handled having two parents working from home while our kids wandered the house. We survived the 120 hour-a-week SAHM gig while our husbands were working and we got no peace. We somehow managed remote learning, assisting our kids, and pretending this was ok. We secured child care and did the balancing act when both parents had to go back to the workplace. We dealt with necessary medical appointments, essential trips out, and all the unknowns that came with it. We overcame.

We stepped up in 2020. It wasn’t all pretty, it wasn’t always what we wanted, and it definitely wasn’t all fun, but we did what we had to do. We rose to the challenge. We quit jobs, stayed home, canceled celebrations, birthdays, holidays, weddings, and funerals. We scaled back. We gave up what we needed when we needed to. We struggled. We fought for what we thought was right, and made so. many. decisions. We were mothers, friends, spouses, essential workers, medical professionals, first responders. We were quarantined. We were sick. We were pulled by the priorities of life. But we were there. We stepped up.

We persevered in 2020. There were days we barely survived, but we didn’t give up. We ate takeout too many nights in a row (but we supported local businesses!). We skipped a workout (or all of them). We lost our tempers. We wore the same clothes for multiple days, may have missed a shower or two, and stretched the limit of our dry shampoo to heights it was never meant to. We cried. We hunted for hours to find toilet paper and paper towels, and put on a happy face for our kids. We lessened our expectations of ourselves, friends, and family. We let go. We released the pressure of doing it all. We persevered.

We thrived in 2020. We got new jobs, promotions, raises, certifications, and opened new doors. We learned new skills, picked up new hobbies. We volunteered. We helped out when others needed us. We sent snail mail and packages, surprise gifts, and notes. We found ways to creatively entertain our kids. We spent more time as a family. We took walks and played games. We slowed down. We found new routines and new strides in this life. We figured it out. We thrived.

We lost in 2020. We lost friends, family, kids, parents, grandparents. We lost jobs. We lost our freedom and we lost control. Some days we lost our minds. Small losses felt big. Big losses felt bigger. We felt tugs that pulled on the loose strings of life this year and watched as they unraveled before us. We lost our normal. We had to adjust to changes in every aspect of life. Our feelings spanned the spectrum. Anxiety. Depression. Grief. We lost.

2020 brought with it so many unknowns. We’ve seen so many hurdles. We soared over some, we’ve missed a few, and a couple we tripped over so hard that we fell flat on our face. It happened. But it happened to all of us, and we’ve all made it through. We did it. And while the wounds are still fresh and we’re anxious to move ahead, we lived this. It changed us. Let’s not deny that. Let’s not brush it aside, hide the hurt, be ashamed of the bad, or bury the experiences.

As we move into 2021, let’s be stronger. Let’s be wiser, or more prepared, or more cautious. Whatever we needed to be before all of this, let’s be that. Let’s hug more often. Hold hands with our spouses. Let’s stay in touch with friends. Celebrate bigger, brighter, and more intentionally. Let’s keep getting outside, spending time with family, cutting back on work (but by choice, not necessity). Let’s keep giving back. Thank a postal worker or delivery driver. Thank a teacher. Thank a doctor, nurse, medical professional, or first responder.

As we embark on the path into 2021, I simply hope you take 2020 with you. I hope you hold it close.

Previous articleMy Father, the Alcoholic
Next articleWhen Your Kid is the Daycare Biter
Paige Vauter
Paige is a wife, mom, and technology professional. She is a central Indiana native and now resides in Westfield with her husband, son, and daughter. She runs on chai lattes and to do lists, and lives for cold weather, good books, and attempting to organize the chaos of this beautiful thing called motherhood. While not behind a computer working, she and her husband can often be found outside, walking their two dogs or chasing their 2 little ones around the yard.