2020 is Finally Over!

This has been the longest year of my life, and also somehow the shortest year of my life. 2020 was insufferably long, but also felt like it lasted five minutes? I'm not exactly sure how both of those things could be true, but I know that they are.

2020 was insanely rough for so many reasons. If you follow me on social media (and you should), you probably got to see a bit of my ups and downs over the year. While social media is a highlight reel, I do want to talk about some of the stuff that happened to me this year, both good and bad.

I got to work from home, which was wonderful for my wallet (I had a killer commute previously), but was also incredibly rough on my mental health. I am someone who very, very much so needs a strict schedule and I am also someone who struggles to stick to schedules. Getting to nap on my lunch break was fantastic, but the effects on my sleep schedule were not. Living alone and working from home was insanely difficult for me. I love my alone time, but not seeing a human person for weeks at a time was (and still is!) way harder for me than I would like to admit.

I have been lonely, depressed, worried about my loved ones, anxious about my career, and most importantly scared. Watching Covid spread, during an election year, while the people around me were losing their jobs left and right was scary. Going into 2021, I am still scared. There is always a level of panic, every day, no matter how good my day is.

I think that's, sadly, what everyone felt in 2020. Panic. Fear. As much as I would love for 2021 to come in and wipe that all away, it looks like Covid isn't going anywhere for at least the next few months. I don't want to sound like a broken record and I don't think anyone needs to be reminded how hard this year was.

All of that to say, I did have some incredible milestones this year. All things considered, I really feel like I managed to fail forward this year. I found a new job with a company I am insanely happy with, even though that adjustment is still something I'm getting used to. I bought my first house at 25, all by myself. And I released my first ever poetry book and it was very well received.

I didn't read nearly as many books as I would have liked to have read and I didn't write nearly as much as I should have. The lack of schedule and the stress really did a number on my creativity. I barely got 5,000 words in for National Novel Writing month this November. Its has truly been a struggle.

I'm walking into 2021 with hope that this year will be better. Maybe not right away, but eventually. I will work to make it better.

I do have some really exciting stuff planned for 2021, particularly in February. I suggested signing up for my email list to stay up to date with some of the cool stuff I have going on. May 2021 be as peaceful for you as 2020 was difficult.