Literally, 2020 was a year for the books. The last time I read so many books was when I bought my house and I was too poor to go anywhere or do anything else. I love to read, but not necessarily when it's forced upon me as it was this year.
2020 was rough on this country and rough on the world. The Covid-19 virus crippled us in ways we'd never seen before. Businesses died. People lost jobs and homes. Hospitals were overwhelmed, their staffs exhausted beyond anything previously experienced. Schools closed and opened, then closed and opened again with teachers doing the best they could with little in the way of helpful direction. Zoom communications replaced physical contact, for those who could figure out the technology. Tempers flared. Fights over mask wearing put shoppers and store staff in danger. Riots broke out, each "side" blaming the other "side." People died. Alone. People survived. Alone. Our government did little, if anything, to alleviate our fears, our struggles, our loneliness.
As bad as it was, 2020 was NOT the worst year of my life. That honor goes to the year I broke my leg and my mother died. The second worse year of my life? That was the year my brother died. The third worse year of my life was the year I bought my house, experienced a vicious group of parents determined to get me fired, determined (and successful) at making my life miserable, and the terrible depression I waded through. So, in perspective, 2020 runs as the fourth worst year of my life. Heck, fourth place barely gets an honorable mention in the contest of the worst possible year.
I hope this year is much better for all of us. I have hope in a new administration and some humanitarianism returning to our government. I have hope that vaccines become available to all and put an end to the deadly hold Covid has on the world. I have hope that I'll play trivia again, hug my friends again, return to art classes again, act in a play again, and travel again.
I need to get back to Key West and have another reading with the gentleman who read my cards. He predicted this year's setback. He wasn't quite sure what he was seeing, but he told me I'd survive it. I have hope that he'll read my cards again with much more optimism.
2020 ends tonight. I have hopes that its bad karma goes with it. Happy New Year everybody. May you live to enjoy it.
I've had many years that I said were the worst year ever. I remember in 2019, was that only a year ago, we were all glad to see it go because so many celebrities died. This year showed us how wrong we were. Parents deaths, divorces and separations (and haven't I had enough of those) seemed like worse years at the time too. Time heals. Time erases bad memories. But I don't think anything will erase 2020.
ReplyDeleteThat's the truth - nothing will erase 2020. I thought about listing the year my dad died as a bad one, but it wasn't one of the worst. I think that's because my family united, I had great support from my friends as I grieved, and I didn't have that empty alone feeling.
DeleteAs always, so well expressed.
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