Fancy Hats
2020 has sucked, can we just say it? What a horrible, rotten year with loss and grief at every turn, a mean-spirited and endless election, a year of nothingness - no concerts, no openings, no parties, no family dinners, no leisurely strolls through the grocery store to mindlessly select the week’s menu without concern for the availability of food or the need to wear an uncomfortable mask and eye everyone else suspiciously for signs of illness.
What a crap year of anxiety and unrest, of not knowing what to do or how to protect your family, or even what you’re protecting them from. A horrid year of friendships strained or even broken from political divide, of mask-wearers versus non, a crock of a year dedicated to a string of bad feelings: suspicion, frustration, isolation, and uncertainty. And then of course, a lot of people didn’t get what they wanted - namely that orange fellow currently living in that white house - and it just seems like everyone is some shade of hurt, sad, mad, disappointed, frustrated, or grumpy.
We were supposed to be at the beach today. Grayton Beach. My favorite beach. But in true fashion of what we’ve now made a common saying of “because it’s 2020,” the Airbnb host canceled our beach house. On Christmas Eve. Via text. So instead of ocean breezes and fresh seafood, I’m rocking the littlest to sleep in his room at home to the sounds of ocean breezes on a sound machine while I snack on a piece of a graham cracker that I may or may not have found on the floor by the rocking chair. Because...it’s 2020.
I’m not complaining. I’m just...grumpy. There are so many things to be thankful for, and I don’t for a moment downplay the real issues people are facing right now. A canceled vacation is nothing. We should be grateful for every moment and day, and I know it and see it now more than ever. The smell of this baby’s head as he sleeps on my chest is good enough for me.
And good things have happened this year. Babies were born and dogs were rescued, vows were exchanged and birthdays were celebrated. We all got really good at Zoom. And online shopping. Maybe a little too good at online shopping.
More than anything, 2020 gave us the challenge and gift of togetherness at home. This year we had breakfast, lunch and dinner together. We worked together, played together, took naps together. We watched all the movies, created endless games and distractions, went on countless drives just to have somewhere to go. Privacy is a foreign concept. Has it been hard? Yep. Would I choose to do it again? No. But would I trade it for the world? Not a chance. This was OUR year.
The other day, I heard someone say that the isolation, stress, and unrest of the 1918 pandemic is what really ignited America’s burst into the roaring 20s, that people were so sick of being cooped up, that once it was over, they put on their finest outfits and fanciest hats and lived it up. And I like that idea. This year may have been hard, but may we all appreciate the irreplaceable gifts it gave us, and know that our roaring 20s is just around the corner. Get your fancy hats ready.
#HappyNewYear2021
