Goodbye to 2020

The last day of 2020, and more so than ever before I don’t think I’ll be alone in breathing a sigh of relief that this year is finally over. But also a grateful cheer – a raising of the glass later to us. We are alive, we are the ones that made it to this day. So many, sadly, have not this year.

What a lot has happened this year. Both in my own life but also nationally and internationally.

And yet, even when the new year starts we join it with some trepidation. We still find ourselves in the heavy midsts of a pandemic that continues to influence our daily lives and makes us ever cautious.

Last night, I took a walk outside. A heavy frost had descended and it was too hard to resist to go outside, after dark, and enjoy the white wonder.

The ground twinkled with the light from the full moon above. The bright sky, full of stars formed in various mystical signs and shapes above my head. It was like being in a light show. My feet made a satisfying crunching sound as I made my way around the village, I was the only one about. Enjoying the stillness and the perfectly white landscape around me grounded me in that moment of calm where no pandemic existed. Here life was carrying on, the owls reminding me that they were looking for food, while the cold kept most people indoors. It reminded me that the seasons come and go, and tomorrow will once again appear over the horizon.

It was also a good time for reflection. What I’d done this year, what a tragedy it very nearly was for my wife and her car crash. The new people I’d met, and the new ways of working as well. The different technology I learnt to use, understanding new words like lockdown and tiers. The walks and new places I’d discovered. The amount of jogging and exercise I’ve done and still not lost weight, but kept my mental health in a good place.

I like many others have learnt what resilience and patience really mean this year. To appreciate the life I have, and worry only about those areas in my life I have control over. To worry less about things that haven’t happened of any areas that I can’t control.

In some ways living during a pandemic has actually brought me much closer to the simple green life I have been trying to attain;

Enjoying nature in my local area, living closer to and enjoying the seasons, less travelling, fewer meetings, less spending. More time spent in the garden, more veggies were grown, and more time spent with those who mean the most to me.

So, while I say goodbye to 2020, it’s with mixed emotions. Gratefulness, contentment, anxiety, expectation, sadness and joy.

But most importantly I think the word that sums up 2020 is brave. To not know what is around the corner and head towards it anyway, knowing not what may come our way next is what 2020 was all about. In fact, every day is like that – and to be brave means just this: doing the best you can in the circumstances you find yourself in while being kind to everyone that crosses your path. It’s not always easy, but it’s all we can do.

Wishing you peace and good health for 2021.

Thank you for reading.