2021 - Finally Here
Well, it’s finally here. 2021. So many of us eager to say goodbye to 2020.
I’m resisting the temptation to open this message with “happy new year.” So many of us are going into this first day of 2021 with heartache, immeasurable loss, great fear and uncertainty carried as leftovers from 2020. Good intentions might not be enough to let “happy” be the root of the new year, but it’s a start.
Without getting all Pollyanna on you, let’s look at four things that worked in 2020 in a macro sense that could be the springboard to “happy.”
1. We kept our Republic. 2020 saw an election snatching American democracy from the jaws of annihilation. What a ride that was…and continues to be with the Georgia runoff just a few days away. Enduring reminders that we need each other to keep our Constitution alive and relevant. The document - powerful in its intentions and delicate in its implementation - might be a couple hundred years old but the practice is ever new, vital and worthy of our vigilance. Democracy isn’t a state; it’s a process. Ben Franklin told us that when he left the first Constitutional Convention and was asked what kind of government we had. He is said to have replied “A republic. If you can keep it.” That came out of 2020: we kept our republic.
2. The collective genius of science and delivery charging headlong at Covid-19. The brilliance of the researchers and epidemiologists, the willingness of test subjects, the applied science in our hospitals with doctors, nurses, technicians, pharmacologists – the whole health care administration system protecting our loved ones even as our federal government fought to sabotage them. Despite obstacles intended and unintended, the process of bringing together manufacturing and distribution with the brilliance of science is beginning to land vaccines in the arms of the vulnerable. The visual brings to mind epic battle scenes in Star Wars. (Likenesses to Yoda, Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia and Darth Vader welcome here).
3. “Shelter in Place” continues to highlight the creativity of our parents, teachers, business managers, students, and work force. We are an adaptable species. Adaptation - the catalyst for evolution - alive and well in 2020.
4. For me personally, 2020 brought us Billy and Luke – two little baby boys, born to my cousins on my dad’s side. Babies…God’s way of telling us he hasn’t given up on us yet. Here’s to all the babies born in 2020 – reasons to be happy and hopeful about our future.
New Years are traditional times of resolutions, and I’m loathe to make any. (Bryant Gumbel once said he was making a resolution that year he could keep…he’s going to put on 15 lbs.) My resolution is the same one I make every year - to be kinder to others and myself, to judge less and encourage more. 2020 put that “judge less” thing to the test. A test I failed more than I care to admit. I think it will be easier in 2021.
So now, I believe I am ready to say “Happy New Year.” With thanks to 2020 for all it gave us – however disguised - let’s have 2021 continue to show us what’s right in our lives, how we need each other, help each other and move forward with each other. Together we defeat the forces working against us, by encouraging our good intentions, adaptation and expansion.
Welcome 2021. We’re ready for you!
Much love to all,
Marie
