2020 was for the birds.  Even if we, ourselves, did not experience great hardship, we saw those around us experiencing hardships that we likely did not have the resources to help with.  We experienced a great social loss this year in not being able to see those we love in person and support those who needed us while far away.  With all that we have lost, the world and the culture we live in has changed for the better in many ways.

Our view of work has changed.  In 2020, parents, CEOs, teachers, and everyone in between experienced the way life could be if work was more manageable.  We had more days off and more flexible hours to cope with the demands of safety in the face of COVID-19.  While most businesses may endeavor to go back to the way things were before 2020, there is no doubt that many realized how difficult and frustrating it is to live in a world where work is the priority and there is no room left to care for ourselves and our families.

Mental health is more normalized than ever.  The mental and emotional upheaval seen in 2020 will echo into 2021 and there is nothing we can do to stop that.  However, we are more equipped, as a community, to deal with the things that we are all experiencing.  We have found real self-care practices to sustain us through stressful times, we have learned how to support each other during times of hard emotions and difficult experiences, and we have learned to value the ways in which our minds work for us.

We have learned to assign great value to people.  2020 was a year of people refusing to be invisible.  Everyone had ample time to watch the world erupt with frustration over the lack of consideration for many different populations.  Many of us have learned about efforts, struggles, and tragedies that we would not have had time to notice if the year progressed as many have before.  We were a captive audience to the strife of many and our hearts are not oriented to the needs of those around us and the ways others depend on us even if we do not know their names.

We learned the power of our words.  Similar to learning the value of people around us, we have learned that what we say on public platforms and how we engage with others is important.  We have learned that others are watching us to learn and to hold us accountable.  While cancel culture should not be the standard, we have learned that we are responsible for how we engage with others and how we engage with ourselves.

We realized the ‘why’ behind our actions.  How many of us have not painted our nails, purchased clothing, or some other regularly practiced activity because we had no one to impress?  This year showed us how many of our activities were for others.  This is not to say that we will not return to them when things are safe, however, I think it is powerful to remember why we choose to abstain from these activities during 2020.  Let uss take the pressure to perform off of ourselves!

We learned what it is like to be alone with ourselves.  If there is one thing that I have learned this year, it is how comfortable or uncomfortable my community is with being alone with their thoughts.  Social gatherings and being busy can distract us from the wealth of emotional knowledge that occurs when we are alone.  Learning the lesson of who we are when we are alone is incredibly valuable and can save us from great frustration later in life.

We realized how creative we are.  How many virtual parties did you attend or host this year?  How many times did you find a way to support someone when you could not be there with them physically?  Humans are incredibly resilient and creative.  We had to stretch ourselves this year to make life and joy happen.  We did good, y’all.

As 2020 comes to an end, we cannot look forward to everything returning to normal, however, we can envision ourselves rising to the task of working towards better communities and relationships in light of all we learned in 2020.  I am ready and I am ready to do it with y’all.

Try this: Make a list of everything that you learned in 2020.  Share it with the people you love as we enter the new year and celebrate all that others have learned alongside you!