I first began writing this post on January 8th. I intended of course to finish it within that week. Well, as many starts to New Years go, the time just flew by. Here we are, February 28th of 2021, and the post still sits unfinished. I refuse to post my recap of 2020 in March, so here it is, imperfect and flawed but “finished” nonetheless.
Just a brain dump of what got me through the year that was 2020. This is obviously not an extensive list of everything I listened to, read, watched, or did. It’s just the first things that came to mind, no specific order, rhyme or reason. I tried to keep it short and sweet!
5 Albums I Listened To:
Man on the Moon III: The Chosen by Kid Cudi
Detroit 2 by Big Sean
No Pressure by Logic
Ghetto Lenny’s Love Song by SAINt JHN
Folklore by Taylor Swift
5 Things I Watched:
This Is Us
Schitts Creek
Ozark
The Bachelor/Bachelorette
Star Wars
5 Things I Read:
Educated by Tara Westover
“My life was narrated for me by others. Their voices were forceful, emphatic, absolute. It had never occurred to me that my voice might be as strong as theirs.”
Catch + Kill: Lies, Spies, and a Conspiracy to Protect Predators by Ronan Farrow
“In the end, the courage of women can’t be stamped out. And stories – the big ones, the true ones – can be caught but never killed.”
American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins
“That these people would leave their homes, their cultures, their families, even their languages, and venture into tremendous peril, risking their very lives, all for the chance to get to the dream of some faraway country that doesn’t even want them.”
Healing Politics by Dr. Abdul El Sayed
“Being willing to invest in a solution hinges on believing that government can accomplish what it sets out to do. But as a society, we seem to have given up on government as a critical component of the solution. That leaves key problems unsolved, which drives our insecurity. But our insecurity keeps us from believing that government can take on those problems. Rise and repeat. Insecurity perpetuates itself.”
How to Be An AntiRacist by Ibram X. Kendi
“Like fighting an addiction, being an antiracist requires persistent self-awareness, constant self-criticism, and regular self-examination.”
5 Habits I Built:
The Next Right Thing Podcast by Emily P. Freeman
Journaling
Exercising
Giving myself and others grace to make mistakes
5 Changes I Did Not Anticipate:
Losing Arya’s nap and gaining an earlier bed time.
Working from home for the majority of the year.
My growing relationship with God.
Moving from two jobs, to one. Hallelujah!
Finding comfort and peace in my forced solitude.
5 Things I Learned:
How to golf (ish)
Rest is necessary. The hustle culture is toxic. Burnout is not glamorous.
I have a lot of anti-racism work left to do and so much left to learn. It will be a continuous lifelong process.
Make-up can be fun and empowering especially if you’re not rushing and/or willing to take the time to learn.
Parenting can be extremely triggering, especially for those of us with childhood trauma. There are a ton of great therapist/psychologist resources on social media if you don’t have access to mental health support.
5 Things I Accomplished:
Completed 5 exercise programs and developed my first real bicep ever!
Moved all of my trainings to a virtual platform, and became a Zoom/Google Meet expert at work!
Became trained as a Forensic Interview Specialist at work!
11 Blog Posts!
Favorite Things I Did:
Camping and kayaking at the cottage
Attended a Bernie Sanders Rally with Arya and friends #NotMeUs
Weekly farmers market trips with Arya
Welcomed 2 Guinea Pigs to our Family! Meet Snuffles & Cupcake!
Lots of walks and bike rides with the family!
A Year In Review, more like a year at a glance. But here it is, a sneak peak into how I welcomed in the new decade! Hope you were also able to find joy in the little things and peace in the slower pace.
May 2021 bring continued blessings to all of us.