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You probably noticed, 2020 has been a helluva year.
Lately, I’ve been hearing everyone talk about how ready they are to boot 2020 out the door. Good riddance! Go! Be gone!
I get it. I, too, am ready to turn the page and have a fresh start. I’m excited about new possibilities, and I cannot wait to hug with abandon the people I love.
At the same time, I can’t help but feel we’re doing ourselves–and each other–a huge disservice by trying to hurry up and ‘get this year behind us’. As though we can just wash our hands and poof, we’ll be done with it.
The thing is, getting 2020 behind us is never going to erase what happened.
SO. MUCH. HAPPENED. (And is still happening.)
Hard, heartbreaking things. Unimaginable grief and loss. Chaos and incompetence. Disruption and despair. Lives and livelihoods changed forever. And so much more.
Thankfully, there were also beautiful, heartwarming and inspiring things that happened: appreciation shown to previously unappreciated workers; connections made that wouldn’t have been otherwise; vaccines created; babies born, couples married. Even spontaneous, joyful dancing broke out in streets and States all across the country.
And yes, so much more.
It’s been a world-changing, life-pivoting, head-spinning, crazy-making, wild and wooly year.
If I’ve learned anything in my time on the planet, it’s that in order to move forward with a modicum of grace and wisdom, I need to pause to remember, honor and learn from what has been.
To stop long enough to let it wash over me: the good, the bad, the ugly and the lovely. To name it, acknowledge it and feel it, not try to wish it or push it away.
Because to the degree that I push away what is hard is to the same degree that I cannot let in what is good.
So before you rush to kick 2020 to the curb, I invite you to pause and remember this year. Light a candle, and spend some time reflecting on and listing out the lowlights and the highlights. What did you learn? Who helped you? Whom did you help? In what ways did you grow? What broke your heart? What restored you? What do you appreciate about how you walked through this year?
2020 might be the year of all years that’s asking us to–perhaps demanding that we–take stock, pay attention and learn from what’s happened.
Doing so might not only give us more grace and wisdom, but also inform and guide us into who it is we most want to be.
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Lastly (for now), thank you for letting me parachute into your inbox every Friday (you do have a choice about that so, for that, I am grateful.) I appreciate your comments and feedback. What you say matters, and (hopefully) helps me be and do better.
I hope these bites have made your days a little lighter and your path a little brighter. I hope I’ve annoyed you enough to stretch you outside your comfort zone, inspired you to stay open and curious a little longer, and lured you into recognizing that showing up more fully in your life is a pretty grand and brave thing to do.
Harley and I wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy Holy Days. We send warmth, peace, love and joy–and a big dog dose of good, necessary trouble. 😉
Here’s to what was, and to what will be. xo