Farewell 2020

Goodbye, 2020. This year has been difficult for everyone in some way or form and I know this year hit some families harder than others. I've been reading some mottos online for 2020. I have yet to come across one that really speaks to me. 

2020 has changed life in so many ways. It's crazy to think about. I keep thinking about how quickly it all happened. The timing for me might have been even more important since my spring break had just begun when the pandemic hit. So life was almost sectioned off neatly into two parts: at school before spring break of my upper-year and at home ever since. But the changes have been rapid and drastic, almost like living a dystopian novel. I wear a mask wherever I go, and I don't think anyone has seen my face for nine months. I haven't even touched the jeans sitting in my drawer, or the blouses that I would wear to classes. I dodge people when I run outside or go on walks, an action that may have been regarded as rude before. Now, people actually appreciate it when you give them their own side of the sidewalk. Companies have responded to these lifestyle changes (or the ones that will survive have!) and I feel it when I browse on their websites. When I see clothing companies advertise more "loungewear" for instance, it almost confirms a reality that's too incredible to believe.

But now, we're about to say farewell to 2020. And it's during this time of year that people often set New Year's Resolutions. Frankly, I've never been very good about remembering mine because the goals are often too specific. I believe that this explains why for most people, New Year's Resolutions do pertain to just the "new year." Or the first three to four-ish months of the year. 

Yet during our last prefect meeting of the year, one of my remote prefectees from Seattle introduced her tactic to countering the forgetfulness associated with resolutions. Rather than picking one specific resolution, she picks a theme for the year. I'm inspired by her idea and I'd like to try that this year. In fact, I didn't even create a resolution last year because experience taught me I'd likely forget it! But I'm going to create a one-word theme this year to focus on. Seems a lot easier to remember than oddly specific goals. 

HOPE

That's my theme for 2021 and I'm going to try to stick with it. There's lots of good to come in 2021. It might not happen in the early half of the year, but I'm hopeful that it will eventually. Hope will get me through next year.  

Farewell, 2020!