Reflecting on 2020: Life

Despite the trials and difficulties of 2020, I was lucky and had many positive moments throughout the year. The coronavirus has made the year hard on everyone, and, although my family members were able to keep their jobs and managed not to contract the virus, it made aspects of the year difficult for us too.

The biggest difficulty was being unable to physically connect with family to support them during difficult times. We had a death in the family in 2020 (unrelated to corona) that deeply affected everyone; but because the person passed in March when air travel was at a standstill and countries’ borders were closed, we were unable to travel back to Jamaica to be with family there, to emotionally support them and to be emotionally supported. We had to do it from afar, often over Zoom and WhatsApp, which weren’t often the best substitute.

The downside here is that corona kept us apart when we wanted to be closer; but, in some ways, it made us closer. Due to the death in the family and restrictions to travelling, my family began to connect more. Instead of calling each other every now and then, we formed a WhatsApp group that allowed us to quickly share news, encourage each other, and even joke around. There was a lot more chatter between us.

On the home front, corona made me and my immediate family members spend A LOT more time together since we were stuck at home. We all get along but, maaan, it got annoying sometimes and made me want to immediately move out! Lol. With all the upheavals in politics and marches for Black lives, police brutality, folks championing racism (but somehow convinced themselves that they aren’t), economic instability, and rising corona cases and deaths around the world… 2020 was a year filled with worry and anxiety. And I was sometimes worried and anxious. But I tried my best to distract myself from it by blogging and reading and working.

I make a one-word resolution each year, and the word for 2020 was Focus. Looking back, especially when I consider ALL the plans I had for 2020, I realize that if corona hadn’t swept through, I wouldn’t have met my goals or stuck to my resolution to Focus on my goals. It’s sad to say this, but the effect of the coronavirus on daily life forced me to stick to my resolution and meet my goals because I had no other choice. I had nowhere to go and was so worried about my job and the economy that I saved more than I’ve ever had in my life.

I met certain personal and career goals and lots of financial ones because of how Focused I was forced to be. I take this result as a win for 2020 (because something positive needed to come from that year), but I’m also considering it a lesson. I make goals, but I need to be more intentional in my approach so that if I’m living through a year of distractions, I will still be able to achieve my goals. Basically, I need to stop half-assing some things. So that’s my word for 2021:

Intentional

I’m holding on to my 2020 resolution — Focus — as well. I will continue to Focus on my goals, but I intend to be a lot more Intentional in my approach and really commit to what I’m doing.

I hope this will be a much better year for us all.

Happy New Year,

Z

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