Fashion Stories & Dirty Laundry

On purpose I blew off blogging a final entry to close out 2020. Oh, well. I’m also late to processing the past year before my annual planning for 2021. This year I give myself a pass.

We moved, got sick, then got well enough to enjoy the holidays only to be inundated with more bad news in the world, more Covid cases, more political unrest, more stay at home orders, when it couldn’t get worse, it did, and then some.

I needed a break. After NYE, I needed the pause to sit and think about everything 2020 without any media influence.

6 days late is no big deal. I sound as if I’m trying to convince myself.

For the last several years, I like to re-cap the prior year, and then intentionally ponder my goals, prayers, priorities (whatever you may call them) for the next. As Ravi’s gotten older, he’ll sit with me and do the same. Asking your kids their dreams and goals is good for them. It helps them articulate the desires and dreams of their heart. It also helps me as a parent pray for them. And I do believe in the power of prayer. This past year more than ever.

The past few days, I stumbled upon my journal from January 2020 and read our requests. Then jotted down what we accomplished this past year. It was nice to be reminded that we actually accomplished something in 2020. I also set the 2021 priorities, as well.

In many ways our biggest accomplishment of 2020 is that we are still alive. Seriously. That is an accomplishment.

If I honestly reflect upon 2020, I can say to myself, “Good job”. My son accomplished 3 out of the 4 goals he put down last year. And I, 3 out of 7. And in a year that basically halted in March, forcing many parents to work from home (if work at all) and then be on-hand to monitor remote learning, I’m ok with 3 out of 7. Every time we thought the world was picking up again, it stalled like my first stick shift car from 1987.

I did watch Netflix’s Death to 2020. I would say it was Hollywood’s end-cap. So much of the streaming content, editorials and social media posts are overwhelmed with the processing of 2020. It’s what we humans do. We need that closure, that end-cap, that ribbon tied around the ‘icky horrible box of a year’. It’s what brings most people peace.

While I agree with this, I have noticed an absence of thankfulness for what went right. Hear me out. I’m not saying to post and brag about it. I’m not saying to live in some sort of soporific denial of the many horrible events of 2020. But maybe you didn’t lose your job, maybe you spent more time with your kids, maybe you made a ton of money in the stock market, maybe not one of your family members got sick or worse, died. Maybe you became a better cook. Maybe you learned to enjoy stillness and learned the discipline to work from home. I would encourage you to write a list of what went ‘right’. You will find it. In a world of so much wrong, there is still the good and the right.

We have extremes in the world. We have those who post their Ferraris and Chanel handbags, and opulent over the top parties and vacations. (Yes, that happened during a pandemic). Then we have the sad statistics of just how many have died from Covid this past year. We see the civil unrest, the disparity of many, the dire homeless situation…the list goes on. What we lack is the middle. The balance of a quiet thankfulness of the simple and sweet things. We lack the humility to restrain from over-sharing, as well.

I can be thankful for 2020 without negating what transpired. Nor do I need to post everything and shove it in the face of others.

I am thankful for the big stuff. I’m thankful for our health. The small and simple becomes big too during a year such as 2020. And you better believe I am thankful for our cat. The comfort of petting an animal and focusing on something else became such a palpable blessing this year.

2020, You weren’t a great friend and you were actually quite fickle. And you were certainly no lover.

But you were a great Teacher.

2021, I greet you. I’ve written my list.

• C. Nor