An entire calendar year through a pandemic. Can you go back in your mind’s eye to March 2020? Did you ever think it would last this long? I remember going home March 16 and thinking, “Sweet, telework for the next month or two, this will be so great!” What I hadn’t figured in was daycare closing, grocery shopping becoming stressful, job security becoming an oxymoron, and the shroud of uncertainty and constant change that would envelop our entire existence.

There have been so many ups and downs for all of us.

There have been months of despair and questioning followed by hopeful horizons that renewed our spirit.

This past summer felt like things were finally taking a meaningful turn for the better. We could be outside, places were open with limited capacity, you could meet a friend for coffee or let your kids have a playdate and it didn’t feel so scary or risky. Work was getting back to normal and plans were in place for kids to return to school in person for real.

The Fall was holding our collective breath. Waiting to see how the numbers would tick. Will this last? And by most accounts everything was going fine. A new sense of normalcy was developing. We even got to look happily forward to holiday get togethers with friends and family.

And then Ka-Pow! Sucker punch to the gut. And here we go again with restrictions and shortages. It’s the worst kind of déjà vu.

We can all look at the small wins and silver linings. If you’re reading this, you’re still alive and hopefully healthy. That’s something to be grateful for.

All of this isn’t to say it hasn’t been really hard. I am not a positive psychology prophet. I think it’s the dark and discomfort in life that shows us the direction we need to go.

I will say this pandemic has shown me faster and more clearly what is important and valuable in my life. Things I probably wouldn’t have taken stock of for another 15 or 20 years are already strongly at the top of my life priorities list.

Cheers to 2021! I propose a toast:

To the sunny and the rainy days.

To the flowers and the weeds.

To the still waters and the waves.

To the breakdowns and good deeds.

It’s all what makes a life a journey,

the things that test our mettle.

We’re made of more than we ever knew,

don’t give in, give up, or settle.