Ah, the last 90 days of 2020 are upon us. Kind of thought we’d be in a different place by now, huh?
Heavy continues to be the best word to describe this year. Not one of us has escaped heartache, loss, anxiety, confusion or negativity this year and I think we’re all going to carry it for a while. The next few months feel so uncertain and I hate the idea of it weighing down a typically very joyful holiday season. It makes the end of 2020 feel so distant from what we’ve known in the past. But I’m putting the mess aside for a minute because…
I’m here to advocate for 2020.
I’m already cringing at future memes I can imagine trending come mid-December. Poking fun at what a disaster the year has been and willing in a fresh start faster than ever before. I definitely have a glass half-full mentality most of the time which makes it hard for me to continue to focus on the negative. Yes, we’ve all suffered. I have plenty I could complain about. There are so many issues left unattended and a polarizing election just weeks away. Continued negativity just won’t help at of it. So for the last 90, I refuse to focus on the bad or wish the time away.
The upside
I’m amazed at what humans can do when unnecessary obligations are removed and we’re given time to discover new opportunities for growth. Are these really crappy circumstances? 100%. We’re in a crisis. But hear me out.
For me, the most exciting part of this year’s change in lifestyle has been watching everyone become so dang creative.
I’m not just talking about creativity in the traditional sense. Hobbies are great – I personally worked on my photography editing skills, sketching and challenging myself to read more. Oh, and the whole mom thing. But creativity also shows in how we pulse through our daily lives.
Balancing the WFH life, figuring out meals, keeping kids entertained, filling social voids, finding ways to be together and not actually be together, finding new hobbies, taking extra time for old hobbies, discovering new philosophy to study, supporting local businesses in new ways, taking time for self-care, forcing fashion trends to go more casual, starting new businesses, volunteering. The list goes on and on. A lot of people are doing all of these things and some.
Think about the things you may not have done this year if you weren’t stuck at home. Would you have spent that extra time together as a family? Would that project you’ve been procrastinating on still be idly standing by driving you crazy? Would you have gone another 365 without appreciating the simpler things in life? I don’t know… I think I’m digging this new pace of life we’ve all created together. While not actually being “together”, of course.
A positive 90
A few months ago I would have agreed that 2020 has been, in fact, a complete waste. All of a sudden though, officially entering the last 90 days flipped a switch for me. I never want to pessimistically look back on something without learning from it first.
So before we all create those nasty memes about how terrible this year has been, or before you wish away these next few months, I’m here to try and sway you into the light.
Twenty years from now when kids interview us for history papers, let’s not say “what a terrible, wasteful year”. Let’s tell them the ugly facts but also the good that came out of it. Because I truly believe the good exists. Or we still have a little time to create it.
xoxo. B
SHOP THE LOOK
Love your optimistic and positive insight into 2020, my mindset has been very similar, I’ve found a plethora of silver linings despite the crisis(es) throughout the year. But I especially love how you’ve pointed out that people have learned and embraced creativity to get through the changes that life thrown at us. Adaptability is key and I think we all had a lesson in that this year! Great share!! 🙂
Thank you! Glad to hear you have found your own silver linings. There are days where that is a true feat, no doubt. I definitely wrote this wanting to spread some optimism… I’m so glad you enjoyed it!