Is it over yet?

It was supposed to be a “good” year. At least it started off that way. I got to spend a month and a half in the beautiful Okanagan Valley in British Columbia and I had plenty of travel planned – England, Norway, and other parts yet determined. And then IT hit. Like a Stephen King novel where all hell breaks loose, 2020 threw up all over the place and soon the year became a train wreck – you want to look away but you just can’t. The world stopped. For three weeks. Then three months. And just when we thought it couldn’t drag on any longer, we were hit with massive fires, explosive storms, civilian unrest and protests, and political dumbfuckery. Travel came to a standstill, businesses floundered or went under, and toilet paper – that one thing you take for granted – became an endangered species. I lost a friend to suicide, many lost loved ones to the virus, and lives were permanently altered. Yea, 2020 will go down in the books as the year that sucked.

Okanagan Valley - Jan 2020

Or did it? With all the crap that went down (and continues to go down), there were some amazing highlights - events and people that made me be glad to be alive.

The first was the arrival of my beautiful grandson. The spitting image of my son, my "Nan"son gives me the chance to see the world through new eyes and find the fascination with just chewing on a spoon. I am relishing being Nan and Thursday, the day I get to watch him, is my favorite day of the week.

I love the simple joy of going for a hike with my roommate and taking the dogs along for the ride. I don’t have to look long to find the beauty in my surroundings and my dogs remind me that there’s nothing wrong with wagging your tail so much you knock things off the shelf.

My daughter and son continue to make their mark on the world and that swells me with pride. My Boy is navigating his new title of “Dad” while excelling in his profession. I now have a Master Plumber in the family and I am really looking forward to the family discount on plumbing work. I love watching my son with his son and I only wish on him the trials and tribulations he put me through as he was growing up every now and then. Mainly because I can’t wait to be “Nan – the one that makes everything all right.”

My son & his son

The Girl DNA Thief continues to set Chicago on fire, (figuratively) and attacks her work with a ferocity that can only come from doing something you love. She voluntarily registered to take a series of tests from the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) that prove her knowledge and capabilities in her chosen occupation, and, as of this writing, aced the first one with the second one still to come. If I wasn’t there when she was born, I’d swear she couldn’t possibly be my child. She and her person (her words) have been together for four years and I absolutely love watching them interact with one another. They complement each other very well and as for a pseudo-son-in-law, I couldn’t ask for better.

My girl and her guy

As for me, well, I DID get to travel this year. I took a little road trip to see my Mom by way of South Dakota, Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, Pennsylvania, New York, Missouri, and Kansas. For the most part, people took health guidance seriously (and then there’s South Dakota that seemed to operate in a different dimension regarding the virus), and as long as I took my precautions – mask, handwashing, etc – I felt pretty safe. In November, I started a temporary job working for my county, Mesa County. I am working in the COVID response team where my colleagues and I work with businesses to help them keep their customers safe and their doors open. While it doesn’t blow smoke up my skirt, it is important work and I feel like I am proactively helping my community stay alive and open.

Lake Superior - it is HUGE!

There is hope for 2021 – a vaccine, a new opportunity for political dumbfuckery, and borders opening across the globe (one day...I can dream...I have to dream). I hope we don’t lose what we’ve gained this past year, though – dedication to our family, friends, and community, an ability to slow down and de-busy, humor, and the ability to see hope when it seems to be hiding. As 2020 draws to a close and the world collectively sighs in relief, may 2021 pick up where 2019 left off - with optimism and enthusiasm for 12 new months where anything can happen.

Be well and may your supply of hand sanitizer never run dry.