WELCOME TO 2021
WE MADE IT! How are you doing?
2020 completely SUCKED, right?
I mean, usually, I like to try to find the silver lining in every situation. But I have to tell you; this past year just took the cake. And I’m honestly not seeing a lot to like about what happened in 2020. Mostly, I’m just glad to be putting it in my rear-view mirror!
I went into 2020, bursting with optimism and positive anticipation.
Here’s an excerpt from my journal dated January 1st, 2020
“Today is the first day of a brand new year! And I am filled with extraordinary optimism for what the year 2020 holds in store for me! Even the number itself evokes positive meaning: PERFECT VISION. That sounds hopeful and loaded with possibility! I have just published Book 1 in my Jack and the Magic Hat Maker series and have three more books slotted for release by the end of this year. Though I have made virtually zero progress on the weight-loss and fitness front this past year (I weigh essentially the same as I did last year at this time), still, I am optimistic because I am starting this year with a bang! by participating in the World Carnivore Month challenge. I’m hopeful that I will have financial success as an author. Several copies of my eBook version of Book 1 sold already within the first couple of days after publication. I’m determined and focused on my goal!”
Things didn’t go quite as I had planned.
THAT WAS JANUARY 1ST…LET’S FAST FORWARD A BIT
Let me just put on my thinking cap and review some of the more significant events that had a direct impact on my life over the past year:
- The whole Covid-19/China Virus scamdemic was thrust onto the world scene beginning in late February.
- Resulting in substantial social-scare shutting down businesses with local governments mandating all kinds of restrictions on personal freedoms and liberties. Even the churches closed…to our great disappointment. Not that we are church people. But if any organization should stand up to government overreach and tyranny, we would think it would be the churches. But nope.
- Jeff and I stopped shopping or going out for any entertainment.
- I began shopping for groceries online and having them delivered to my door, something I hadn’t done previously. Thank goodness for Wal-mart.
- The great toilet paper shortage of the century.
- We went fully 4-months without seeing family or friends in person. So, the first half of the year was spent, essentially, in isolation. Until data became available, clearly demonstrating that the mass-fear was unwarranted. We began to relax our fear a bit as of Mother’s day, May 10th, and started re-engaging with family in person.
7. Downtown Portland turned into a war zone with non-stop riots featured nightly on the national news. As a result, many of our favorite restaurants and other long-time establishments went out of business. Local news showed videos depicting boarded up windows, wide-spread graffiti, tent-cities, and violence became commonplace. Jeff and I vowed NOT to go anywhere near downtown.
8. Schools closed – forcing online education of children at home, often forcing parents to try to teach and simultaneously work remotely…two things most people were not familiar with, and many were utterly unqualified to handle.
IF ALL THIS WASN’T BAD ENOUGH
9. In early September, the wildfires hit…
10. And on the tail end of the wildfire tragedy, governors launched into compelling citizens to limit their holiday gathering numbers and refuse to celebrate with any extended family members living outside their home. Some even recommended neighbors police and snitch on those who were not compliant.
11. November brought…wide-spread voter fraud and a rigged election, further diminishing any hope of reclaiming the freedoms built into our Constitution, or a return to any kind of normalcy experienced just one short year ago.
12. And…the ongoing mask/socially-enforced obedience debate. “Just shut up and do what we tell you. It’s the right thing to do.” Even though it’s completely non-scientific. As my 9-year-old granddaughter keeps asking me, “If social distancing works, why do we have to wear the masks? And if masks work, then why do we have to social distance?” Even children understand that it’s just not logical. And for logic and reason-loving people, like myself, it makes you want to pull your hair out.
13. All of which pretty much brings us to the present date.
2020 Was The Worst Year Ever
So, all in all, I have to say…2020 was pretty much the worst year I have ever experienced in my nearly 59 years of existence on this planet.
Did ANYTHING good come out of this past year?
Well, at least I can say I did manage to publish ONE book in my series…even though I went into the year anticipating that I would publish three. I feel happy that I at least accomplished that.
And I do have a new appreciation for the foundation our great country was built upon. More than ever, I value freedom, truth, liberty, reason, logic, fact, scientific data, and a land with a government that stands for those things as established by our wise founding fathers.
This isn’t really what I intended to write to you…
I was going to talk to you about the traditional Swedish family cookies I baked for the holidays, the goals I have set for myself going forward into this hopeful New Year, and how grateful I am for all of my many blessings.
But apparently this is the message I needed to share.
These are the feelings of sadness, disappointment, and depression I’ve been keeping mostly bottled up inside for the past eleven months.
My intention wasn’t to be a downer…I’m pretty sure you’ve been feeling your own version of what I shared here.
And maybe your version doesn’t agree with mine. Maybe you vehemently disagree with my politics or point of view.
But recognizing that possibility makes me think about the movie Independence Day with Will Smith. In this epic movie, when the human race is threatened by attack from a lethal enemy, all of humanity is moved to join forces, rather than succumb to division and devastation by the invader.
I hope that we can move forward, into 2021, with that kind of love and commitment to work with one another to rebuild trust and ensure a bright future for generations to come.
Next blog post will be more upbeat, I promise. 😉 For something POSITIVE that happened in 2020, YOU MIGHT ENJOY THIS POST!