In 2020 someone posted, “Everyone needs more than what anyone can give right now.”

This surreal era feels as if time has stopped, stretching the entire year, one which felt like the longest in our entire lives. At first, we introverts thrived during quarantine–and then burnt out, as promises of the pandemic ending faded. We settled into this new normal, as protests for racial equality rose, people lost their jobs, wildfires blazed down the West Coast, we weathered through a nail-biter of an election, and as the pandemic went on.

Everyone needs more than what anyone can give right now.

If you’re like me, you probably coped with this new normal by making art and beautifying our city, baking bread, or even participating in a virtual ultramarathon. Maybe a solo socially distanced road trip is what you needed. (Looking at you, Oregon Coast! 😉 ) Or, in true quarantine fashion, you visited your friends’ islands in Animal Crossing, a virtual life where you plant flowers and talk to your cute animal friends.

If you just focused on surviving, I’m so glad you’re here. Even if we tried to make the most of this year, many of us slowed down especially as the year ended.

New beginnings in this new normal

I bought Ev’Yan Whitney’s Review Reflect Release for 2020, an introspective workbook of writing prompts to reflect upon life in the challenging year. It took a couple weeks to finish. After thoroughly writing out the Release section, it was time to let all of it go by cutting it up into sections and burning it. I rarely burn things, so this was a cathartic process.

My housemate shared about how he journals and updates lists every day. It can feel challenging to stay positive during these uncertain times. It helps to write down intentions, in addition to the free-writing I usually do. I sometimes lose sight of many good things in life. Writing a short gratitude list of what’s right offers some hope, which can help nudge action. I find that it makes small goals a little more tangible, especially when things feel so uncertain.

When I’m not writing, two things I ask myself are:

1. What can I control? (My breath.)
2. How can I live right now? (One day at a time.)

While life has slowed down a lot over here, maybe the ball is rolling more than I can see right now. For instance, I’ve been learning CSS, a front-end coding language I’ve always struggled with before. There are more big plans in the works, and it’s only January!

2020 was a doozy, and it’s understandable that folks really want to forget the whole year. But I think this one is worth remembering; it’s a hard lesson to learn from. We don’t want to go back to normal. So, we take what we learned and apply these lessons for the future.