2020 – what a year you were! Despite the way it turned all of our lives upside down with a mixed bag of ups and downs, it ended up being one of my favorite years of all time. I’ve learned so much this year about myself and those I choose to surround myself with, not to mention every possible video conferencing app ever created.
Sure, there were some truly awful spots – specifically the loss of friends and their family members to the horrible COVID virus, as well as the virus of toxicity that settled into our overheated, overly-divisive political environment. I pray for healing for those families and our country.
But there were also some personal highlights that might not have occurred otherwise. First of all, we were given a chance to slow down and break the cycle of urgency, over-programming and always needing to be doing something. We were allowed to just be. And, as I say on my daily Cooped Up Live show (another big highlight of the year), we could finally stop “should’ing ourselves to death.”
Most importantly, in a year when we were discouraged from gathering with our friends and family, those relationships have become deeper and more meaningful.
In the nearly 22 years that Todd and I have been together, I’ve never spent so much time with him. Same goes for the kids. It’s truly a gift that we’ve been able to enjoy this year together before we careen towards the tween and teen years that aren’t always the best for parent-child relationships.
And I’ve deepened my relationships with my sister Monica, reconnected with my mom after a long rough patch between us, formed new friendships through my social media shenanigans and strengthened my ties to old friends. (I’m looking at you, Kerrie and Eric!)
Thumbs Up:
- Claire’s first concert (in the before times)
- Learning from Oprah
- Talking to you every day via Cooped Up Live!
- RV Adventures: 19 states over 7+ weeks on the road
- Buying a new campus for the kids’ school
- Walking 2-3 miles most days
- Socially-distanced drone shows!
Thumbs Down:
- My 100-year old grandfather’s shitty virtual funeral
- I introduced the kids to Hamburger Helper (what was I thinking?!)
- My natural hair color returns…and it’s long!
- My waistline (and liver) have expanded.
I hope you enjoy these photo highlights of the year’s top moments for us.
YOU ARE LOVED!
