Thankful for 2020
It may be an unpopular opinion, but I am sincerely grateful for 2020. This post is a nod to that. Simple grace and humble thanks in the year my Covid layoff was a blessing.
I remember in the 80s thinking "How cool is 1999 NYE going to be? Our 30th year will be SO COOL." We were listening to Prince (RIP) and thinking, yes, we will party like it's 1999. #GenXVibes.
What I realized was each decade got BETTER. Turning 50 seemed so far away back then for us GenXers at West Ottawa High School as we cruised the beach all summer, and spent Friday nights watching our guys in black and white battle it out on the field.
But 50 is the new 40 right? It isn't but that's ok. Yes, I am more conscious of things now that I'm older. I'm a little less reckless and a little more likely to talk about health with friends instead of where we are going to be seeing our favorite band and what the drink specials are that night. Those memories are fun to haul out once in awhile, but I am content to leave that lifestyle behind. And so is my body! #NoRegrets #NoGuiltZone
Life is good now. I was laid off and because my lifestyle in my 50th year is different, I was able to take a breath and ENJOY the break, then the decision to move forward without the stress of a corporate lifestyle.
To be honest, I wouldn't have jumped ship from that life, just kept up with the stress and collected my really nice paycheck. But this is 2020- and it brought COVID. Which resulted in my layoff. And the biggest and best life-change I couldn't have imagined would come with my 50th birthday.
And I am grateful. The pandemic has brought a whole mess of sadness, and irrevocable change. But some of that change is a blessing. This Thanksgiving, I am grateful for the change 2020 has brought. Not just my new lifestyle, but the gift of time. Time spent as I choose it and with my partner in life. As he has officially retired from the military January 1st, we get to start a new chapter in 2020.
So with 2020, comes a different kind of Thanksgiving. We will still eat turkey, traditional sides and pie. But we will be picking it up from his parents' front porch and bringing it home to enjoy separately together. Giving thanks over a meal, with family and gratitude front-of-mind.
Reach inside, deep inside if you need to, and find the blessings of 2020. Happy Thanksgiving my friends!
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