Looking Back on 2020 and Forward to 2021

“It’s OK to not be OK right now and to just do your best to get through this truly unprecedented time" was a common phrase we kept telling ourselves throughout 2020.

From devastating wildfires around the globe, Brexit, and the COVID-19 pandemic that took nearly 2 million lives and affected every single individual around the globe to protests and racism that divided the U.S., 2020 was a year we will never forget. Quarantine, virtual learning, job loss, evictions, a shattered economy, bankruptcy, isolation, a rise in addiction, domestic violence, and child abuse, and a decline in mental health all were the direct results of a global health crisis that turned our world upside down. Our united country became divided on everything from the election that made history to wearing a mask. Cultural movements like Black Lives Matter and police brutality were ignited by unspeakable injustices. Gaslighting and isolation became the backdrop of social media and news headlines and everyone decided to voice their opinions.

2020 may have been a year the first time that many of us looked around and thought, “My God. What have we become?”

Every person experienced monumental stress, loss, and sadness. The heartbreak that came along with 2020 is just all so heavy.

2020 changed us, hopefully for the better

To pretend we haven’t is to ignore the deep and monumental suffering that humanity has been put through. I really don’t think you can go through a year like the one we went through and not be changed. We simply cannot go back to what (and who!) we were … and that’s a good thing.

For me personally, I experienced great loss along with great happiness and sadness. I felt ashamed to celebrate the good because so many people around me were suffering. So many of my good friends gave birth to their first child, I bought a house, I spent 30 nights sleeping in the backcountry, I lost my job, I battled with loneliness and depression, I learned how to bake sourdough bread, I dove back into my yoga practice (thanks to an amazing studio Flex and Flow PDX and the amazing Alissa), I learned how to downhill ski and mountain bike, I met amazing lifelong friends who became my COVID-19 pod and I found endless joy in watching parents teach their kiddos how to ski.

I dug deep within myself and expressed gratitude to God and the people closest to me. 2020 came with a lot of heartbreak and I feel that I got off relatively easy, compared to so many other people who lost loved ones, who struggled with addiction, who lost their home, and are still trying to pick up the pieces from the devastations of last year.

2020 was a year of lessons, growth, and darkness. But to break into the dawn, we must experience darkness. It really does feel like dawn is starting to peek through. We have multiple vaccines rolling out. Life will get back on track, although maybe not back to "normal" and it may take longer than we would like, but the promise of those bright days ahead is undoubtedly strong. I hope that we can go into this New Year and practice what we have learned in 2020.

Before we declare 2020 the worst year of our lives, I truly believe that SO many great things happened in 2020, but they may have been overshadowed by great sorrows associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.

A look back at the silver linings of 2020

• Thousands of strangers volunteered to take the experimental COVID-19 vaccines with potentially unknown risks to themselves, so the safety and efficacy could be tested and proven for both you and me.
• We learned to appreciate the selfless dedication of front-line workers who put their health at risk every day so they can provide services to both you and me. The hospital and medical staff, and the selfless dedication of truck drivers, grocery store workers, service industry workers, farmers and so many more who risked their lives to keep the economy from collapsing.
• We became accustomed to virtual gatherings, weddings, baby showers, birthday celebrations, online learning, remote working thanks to technology such as Zoom calls, and FaceTime video chats. The advances we made in telehealth, remote work, and virtual gatherings will outlast the pandemic.
• Remote working and telehealth, need I say more? Many of us may never have to go into an office again. Companies have learned to transition working remotely and found that office space may even be obsolete and expensive. Although telehealth has been around for decades, 2020 became the year that we finally adapted to this incredible way to better ourselves, both physically and mentally. Whether we used telehealth to check in with our primary care doctor or to seek online therapy for the first time in our lives, medicine will forever be changed for the better because of 2020.
• Drive-in movie theatres came back. As movie theater chains struggled across the country, some family-owned drive-ins made a comeback, bringing a sense of community to small towns that had thought they were gone forever.
• A record number of Americans turned out to vote in our national election, pandemic notwithstanding.
• Black women led the nation to the historical Presidential election of 2020 with more than 9 in 10 voting for Democratic candidate Joe Biden.
• America’s first female vice-president, first Black vice-president, and first Asian American vice-president: Sen. Kamala Harris of California came into office.
• The Supreme Court ruled that no one can be fired for being gay or transgender.
• Republicans and Democrats came together in Congress and the administration to pass the Cares Act, and a few other COVID-19 relief packages, which provided necessary, help to businesses and individuals suffering through no fault of their own.
• One of the most horrifying acts of police brutality ever caught on video, the killing of George Floyd, led to an outpouring of protest and reflection and, in many cities and state capitals, the beginning of reform.
• Parents became heroes, as they had to navigate working full-time while simultaneously staying home with their kids to navigate through virtual learning.
• The United States, thanks to Space X, launched astronauts to the International Space Station on a U.S.made rocket, after years of dependence on Russian technology.
• Celebrity performers put on free shows that we could enjoy from the comfort of our own living room
• Americans cleaned out the animal shelters as we rushed to adopt and foster pets that were in need.
• Distilleries, both small and large, around the country used their resources to produce much-needed hand sanitizer.
• Major companies such as 3M and Apple pooled resources and shifted production to make millions of masks to help keep people safe.
• Ford, GM, Tesla, and other automakers were able to make ventilators and other medical devices to help with the pandemic.
• Board games and cards were re-introduced to our living rooms as family and friends came together and replaced screen time with a human connection.

And the list goes on…..

Things I am looking forward to in 2021

• Seeing my friends
• Travel
• Career milestones
• Re-financing my home
• Taking better care of my mental health
• Learning something new
• Getting this book deal underway (Yes, I am writing a book)
• Getting better at skiing
• Learning to be more patient
• Becoming a better friend
• Laughing until my belly hurts
• Epic adventures with my sweet doggies
• Maintaining my physical fitness
• Spending time with my mom and brother outside of the home

What is happiness, without knowing sadness? What is a good day, or year, without experiencing a bad one?

2021 will most likely still be full of ups and downs but we made it through this last year so of course, we will make it through another year, hopefully with more grace, compassion, empathy, and patience this time around.

2020 may not have been what we planned. It certainly wasn’t what any of us wanted. But, perhaps, it’s what we needed. The lessons learned this past year are pivotal. Maybe it all needed to happen for us all—humanity—to be on a better path ahead.

Perhaps, 2020 in hindsight really is 20/20.