Last year my word of the year was RETURNING. I thought it would be a year of returning to (as I wrote in January 2020):
- returning to a simpler home life.
- returning to the marathon distance.
- returning to fitness and nutrition discipline.
- returning to the other-focused activities that bring us joy.
- returning to a structured Bible study program.
Turns out, most of this is exactly what happened but not in the manner I expected. 2020 was a most unusual year, with most unusual happenings.
If I had to describe 2020 in a word, it would be: UNSETTLED.
- Unanticipated impacts of a pandemic, including a bizarre worldwide shared experience, economic fallout and quiet – quiet roads, quiet skies, quiet shops and quiet offices.
- Social upheaval as we grappled in new ways with very old problems of racism, equity and involvement.
- Life events, like sickness and death, amplified by the unusual circumstances of how we were living.
So yes, I returned to simpler things.
- I had a simpler home life, because all of the normal outside busyness was cancelled.
- I ran my first marathon in 3 years, because I could do it virtually on my own terms, since there were no in-person races to run.
- I amped up my fitness and nutrition discipline, because there wasn’t a lot to do other than walking and running on the trails, and eating out required more effort (though we focused on supporting our core favorite restaurants through take-out to help them stay open).
- I focused on getting to know our neighbors – helped greatly with the addition of our dog, Glory Be. It turns out that looking closer to find others brings us a lot of joy.
Unfortunately, anything structured in life – including a Bible study – went by the wayside as structure seemed to be the very thing that was impossible to maintain. I gave myself, and others, a lot of grace when it came to doing what could be done and letting go of what needed to be let go.
I’m sure there are many lessons still to come from the year that was 2020. Books will be written and stories will be shared with future generations.
For me, I’ve come to love and appreciate my husband even more. We’ve started cooking together, debating current events and running together. It’s a transition to a different level of relationship, and I’m grateful we’ve had this time now rather than waiting many more years to a future retirement phase of life.
I’ve also learned the many ways I can show and receive grace. Human forgiveness is both a blessing and a gift we give ourselves and others.