Last year was an unexpected year for everyone.
Birthdays were cancelled. Weddings were cancelled. Sports were cancelled. Concerts were cancelled. Outdoor dining was cancelled. Beauty maintenance was cancelled. Even schools were closed at certain points. I mean, what else was there left open - right?!?
2020 was a tough year for everyone. We were all going about our daily lives when suddenly - BAM! - things halted in March 2020 and the whole country went into lockdown. There was so much unknown going on. The COVID-19 virus started in Wuhan, China and made its way to the United States AND around the entire world. Suddenly, the news was filled with daily stats on how many people were positive for the COVID-19 virus and how many deaths were occurring. It was a lot to take in daily. New York was a prime hot spot at the beginning being in the red zone with high numbers of infection and death rates. It was scary. I personally knew a family friend who got COVID-19 in New York since they were working in the subway system which meant they were exposed to many people daily. They ended up losing their sense of taste and smell, got a fever, dehydrated cause they couldn't drink water, physically weak, and eventually went to the hospital. Thank goodness they recovered (after some time) and doing better now.
There was a lot of challenges last year. Schools and employers had to figure out how to do things remotely from home. The streets were bare at times. There was less pollution in the sky. There were riots. There were curfews. There were movements for change. People found ways to help others. Everyone was stocking up on basic supplies and there was even a shortage of toilet paper - YES, toilet paper! We were in a pandemic with not much clear direction on what was happening, how things would last, and what proper actions to take to resolve it. In fact, we're STILL in the pandemic for 2021!
And now Los Angeles, which neighbors us here in Orange County, is the new red zone where so many people are testing positive for the COVID-19 virus and dying daily. I can't believe I just wrote that: people are dying DAILY. Before you didn't really know anyone who may have been positive and now you can start naming a handful of people. The virus is real and each person responds to it differently which makes it seem so dangerous. No one is guaranteed immunity.
Yet somehow, through it all, we took things day-by-day and adjusted to all the rules that were changing every so often. We kept our social distance, wore our masks (to protect ourselves and others), cancelled big celebrations, had more free time, watched lots of shows, enjoyed more quality family time, practice self-care, focused on our mental health, advocated for others, and only went out for basic necessities.
Can you believe we went through all that last year?!?
I'm truly thankful for my family to be there during this unprecedented time, especially our baby boy. I spent most of last year on maternity leave for 7 months so I was already used to being quarantined since December 2019. Having Kyler brought light and joy into our lives and, most importantly, hope. Hope that better days were coming. Even though the country may have slowed down, we enjoyed being able to spend time together - just us 3 - and watch Kyler reach his baby milestones. So I actually look back at 2020 and smile. I smile at all the precious family memories we got to create. Those memories are priceless.
One day, this year may become a faint memory so this post will help remind me/us of all the things we overcame. A reminder that even when we may not feel our best, we can get through it whether alone or together. I'm dubbing the year 2020 as the year of the unknown. The year of isolation. The year of survival. And we did it - we survived.
As always, thanks for reading and sending you virtual hugs!
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