Well, well, well, we made it to the end of 2020. Christmas is in 2 days. What a year it has been! This year truly felt like January, February, Pandemic and Christmas. It felt slow yet fast. Boring but intriguing. We did so much of nothing. No doubt this year is one for the books. Let’s reflect the memories that will haunt us forever and soon will become a tale we will exaggerate to future generations.
The toilet paper phenomenon. Like I am still mad about this because the scarcity of toilet paper gave me anxiety. Anyone that knows me, can attest that I am a pooper. I need my stash daily. When the lockdown was announced everybody and their momma bought toilet paper like they planned on a diarrhea marathon. I had to go to far neighborhoods to get cheap paper, even had to get a commercial roll from my job. Like WTF. For all you toilet paper hoarders, I hope you were full of shit.
Essential workers that are not really essential. [Insert eye roll here]. Employers everywhere were faced with the difficult decision to close down, go remote or lie to their employees and call them essential. I am one of those employees that were lied to. For I am not an essential worker but had to go to the office in a hazmat suite.
Working remotely. I am grateful but what an experience it has been. Virtual meetings that ended in embarrassment. By mistake I unmuted myself in a court hearing. Made the judge laugh. Or when the kids left their mic on and the teachers heard us drop some f-bombs of frustration. I hate when they wanted a spur of the moment zoom meeting and I was in the bathroom, or looking homeless or in Target (insert side eye).
Cleaning just about anything. CDC gave us constant reminders of how to wash our hands . The longest 20 seconds of my life. I’ve washed my hands raw at this point. It not only stayed there. We became paranoid of germs. I cleaned all the soles of my shoes, sprayed all my groceries bags or Amazon packages with Lysol before taking them in the house. I have not shake the hand of a stranger for months. Elbow bump! Antibacterial hand sanitizers are everywhere to remind you, you have germs so get them off now.
Social distancing. This one I am kinda good with to a certain point. Movies, parties and concerts are surely missed. But I do like that I have my personal space. 6 feet of it, especially in store lines. I’m short and at armpit height, you can imagine. I have smelled musk and onions in crowded places too many times! However I do hate the constant waiting because of it. But if you are an introvert or simply just hate people, this is a high light.
Streaming your life away. How many shows or movies have been watched in this pandemic? I surely have had my dose of binge watching shows of every kind! Everyone remembers the dumb yet entertaining Tiger King. I would have never watched that show if I wasn’t stuck at home. I’ve rewatched my favorite shows and currently have watched like 80 Christmas movies because I can. Judge me.
Masks. I hate them. But I wear them. I feel claustrophobic in them. They give me “maskne”. Like really. I never had acne and I take care of my skin. Ever since I wear masks , I notice pimples have made their presence on my chin! More work for me to get rid of them. I’ve bought so many masks, even made some. I match them with my outfits. To avoid wearing them I try to stay home as much possible. My backyard my choice of destination, where I can be mask free on my hammock.
This year has kinda sucked. Let’s be real. Not being able to see extended family and friends was and still is difficult. Being distant when loved ones were sick. Limited travel to decrease the spread. Many canceled vacations. Some people took advantage of the free time and accomplished great things or discovered hobbies. Others just woke up and survived. Many lost loved ones and that is the most difficult thing we have faced.
As Christmas approaches we reflect on the year. The good, the bad and the ugly. But in all the craziness this year has given us we must remain grateful to still be part of this crazy life we have. To see the silver lining even if it’s minuscule. Soon this too shall pass. We will be left with memories to pass down and hopefully we can share some good things from this chaos of a year.
We are still in the midst of challenging times. Our guard must not be down but let’s be hopeful through humor and good deeds. Let’s treasure Christmas with our close circle. Let’s ring in the new year with joy and hope that we are not just entering 2020 Level 2! 😆 Even if we are masked, let’s still remember to be merry!
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