Thank You, 2020
This time last year, many of us were ringing in the new year — and new decade — with happy and hopeful intentions to make 2020 the best year yet. We thought up and shared our resolutions, ambitiously planned out our personal and professional goals, and vowed to take lots of trips to travel and see the world, because that’s what you do when you’re operating under normal circumstances. How could we have foreshadowed a global pandemic and medical crisis resulting in so much loss of life? How could we have foreshadowed government-mandated lockdowns, record unemployment, so much political and economic instability, and a world so torn apart we’re left wondering if it will ever repair itself?
A whole year into 2020, I think we can all agree that the past year has been one of the most difficult to see and experience firsthand. At the start of quarantine late-March/early-April, I felt a lot more optimistic about things turning around quickly; I didn’t want to believe there was a possibility that we’d end up wasting a whole year in quarantine and isolation, so I pushed forward with a positive attitude, trying my best to curb the negative energies and fears that occupied space in the back of my mind. I’m a genuinely positive person, so I truly believed things would get better before they got worse.
Turns out, things weren’t going to get better as soon as I thought; in fact, they were going to get worse, way worse. Retail supply shortages began causing people to panic-buy food and hoard other household essentials, families were losing loved ones at alarming rates, hospitals were reaching (and exceeding) max capacity, layoffs and furloughs were happening at record levels, and the economy was tanking, creating one chaotic scene after another. A few months into the pandemic, my optimism that we’d recover fast and bounce back quickly faded like daylight fades into night.
It doesn’t feel good to be trapped at home with little to no idea when relief will come, at least not for me. I didn’t mind spending so much time at home, I just didn’t like the idea of having limited mobility. I longed for normalcy, to live and experience life with some sort of familiarity. But it never really came — not in the spring, not in the summer, not in the fall. So I had to make an adjustment. I had to tell myself things were different than they were before, that it was in my best interest to make the most of a bad situation. I had to tell myself it was time to adapt. And I did just that. I changed my outlook, approached the days with a newfound take on positivity and gratitude, and started to see the good again. A lot more freedom came with that revelation, really.
Here and now at the end of 2020, I don’t feel like the same hopeful and optimistic person I was earlier this year, but I feel hopefully optimistic for many different reasons. I know COVID-19 isn’t going to be gone tomorrow, and I know that until we’re able to stop the spread, more people are going to lose their lives to this terrible virus every day, but I’m hopeful that with proper government support, a serious effort to enforce face mask requirements and social distancing measures, and the rollout of the new vaccine, cases will begin to slow down, hospitalizations will begin to fall off, and life will slowly but surely begin to return to some degree of normal. I could be wrong, but I hope I’m not.
2020, life with you has been overwhelming, unpredictable, and undesirable to say the least. You showed your ugly face too many times for comfort and left us living in a world of political, economic, and racial divide. You took so many precious lives and created voids of sadness for so many families, voids that will take a lifetime and beyond to fill. You wreaked havoc on the world and showed no remorse for doing so. You toyed with our mental health, made many of us question our own self worth, and jeopardized our overall well-being on more than one occasion, yet somehow I still feel grateful for you. You taught me so many things about myself and showed me the way even when the path wasn’t clearly paved. You helped me learn about myself and my abilities, you helped push me to be creative when I didn’t want to be, and you taught me adapt to new situations and struggles, even when I didn’t think I could. You were a bear of a year, but you’re one I’ll remember the rest of my life.
That being said, I don’t want to dwell on the negative of 2020 any longer, because there’s already too much that’s been said about it. Instead, I want to end 2020 on a high note, reflecting on all I’ve learned throughout this tumultuous, yet somehow gratifying year. With that in mind, here are 10 major lessons 2020 taught me that make me a better person today than I was at the start the year. These lessons will come forward with me into 2021 and will no doubt help set the foundation for what’s coming in the days and months ahead. I don’t know what those days will look like, but I know I’m ready for them.
2020 taught me to see things with so much more perspective.
2020 taught me to be more intentional with how I spend my time.
2020 taught me to pursue my creative passions and be unapologetically myself.
2020 taught me to be grateful for what I have now and always.
2020 taught me to find happiness in life’s simple joys.
2020 taught me to approach life with more humility.
2020 taught me the importance of learning to adapt to the unknown.
2020 taught me what it means to persevere and be resilient.
2020 taught me the true virtue of patience — in others and with myself.
2020 taught me it’s okay not to be okay.
At the end of each calendar year, I usually write out and share a full year in review post on Just Jen Things, but this year feels like it deserves a different kind of ending. There are so many things that I accomplished, so many small victories that I’m proud of, and so many little things I feel eternally grateful for, so I wanted to share 11 photos that represent things I experienced that brought me the most amount of joy and happiness throughout the year. Some are small and some are big, but they all made me smile in the moment, so I wanted to share them with you. Let this serve as a reminder that even the worse year can bring lots of simple pleasures for you to embrace and enjoy, you just have to be willing to roll with the wind and ride with the waves. Keep scrolling for a peak into some of my favorite moments from 2020, along with some of the blog posts I feel most proud to call my own.
New Year’s Day chasing frisbees and digging holes at Holden Beach.
The gorgeous mountain views from my hotel window in Saltillo, Mexico.
A summer hike at Raven Rock State Park.
The beauty of a summertime ocean sunrise at Myrtle Beach.
Days back home in Wisconsin spent visiting family.
Enjoying an absolutely picture perfect sunrise at Wrightsville Beach the day Alex proposed.
Back at Wrightsville Beach after a fun day exploring Downtown Wilmington.
Fall hikes at Eno River State Park.
Typical fall activities, which include chanting Go Pack Go at the top of our lungs.
Familiar backyard views in quarantine.
Celebrating year 29 with balloons and a polaroid!
Whether you’ve been with Just Jen Things from the start, or you’re following along for the first time, thank you for choosing to be here with me. From 2019 to 2020, my blog saw a huge spike in visitors and page views and my reach expanded from primary users in North Carolina and Wisconsin to primary users in 38 US states and 41 countries. You’ve read my stories, engaged with my content, shared my words with your friends and followers, and made my passion for writing grow exponentially. My blog is one small sliver of the Internet, so I’m grateful for every link you’ve clicked that led you to my site. Especially in 2020, I needed a little creative boost and your support encouraged me to keep writing and publishing new blogs over and over again. I really can’t thank you enough.
Of the many posts I’ve hit publish on in 2020, I’m most proud of the ones that show true emotion, spontaneous adventure, and real life. To celebrate 2020 and all I have to show for it, here’s a recap of my favorite Just Jen Things’ posts from 2020. Tell me which ones you read and enjoyed most!
Heading into 2021, I’ve never felt more energized and ready to go. I learned so many things in 2020, that fact is undeniable, I just hate that it came at the expense of nearly a half million American lives and more than a million additional lives across the world. I hate that it came at the expense of those who lost their jobs, their savings, and their livelihoods. I hate that so much had to be sacrificed by front line health care workers so I could stay home and learn to appreciate the little things. I have so much gratitude in my heart for all that 2020 taught me, but I hate that our world had to face the trials and tribulations it did throughout the process. 2020 was like taking the steepest hike up an unfamiliar mountain, but standing here on the peak and looking back at all the obstacles we’ve encountered along the route, I can’t help but feel optimistic that 2021 will be better, because it has to be. There’s so much happy and hopeful energy I feel when thinking about 2021. The woes will for sure continue into the new year, but I know good things are coming, and I can’t wait.
Cheers to 2021!
JB