2020 has certainly handed us all a fair share of challenges. As is the case with a lot of people, this year has been one of the toughest years of my life. My wife and I had just gotten back from a road trip to Sedona, Arizona in early February. A few days after we got home from that trip we went to a friend’s birthday party. The very next day the word of the seriousness of the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent quarantine began to surface in the news and our reality changed overnight.
As some of you might remember we’d made extensive travel plans for this year. I was going to start a YouTube travel channel. We were also going to spend time with my family in Ohio. By mid-February it was clear that all of our plans were crumbling to dust. Since then many little things have gone wrong or fallen apart in between the larger things that vaporized. Still, we were very lucky compared to some.
By any account 2020 has been a bastard of a year. Ironically, while most of us have had to wear a mask, the metaphorical masks have been stripped off of so many people, governments, and institutions to reveal them for what and who they really are.
The year has been like a masterclass in patience and optimism, a chance to put into practice lessons learned from the past. The last six months have also been a kind of reset, a recalibration of expectations. Many of us are rediscovering things like – quiet moments, humor, cooking, gardening, or focusing on living a healthier life. I’ve learned there was quite a lot I was taking for granted in my pre-COVID life and also some things from my previous reality that it's better to live without.
This year has reminded me of my own mortality and the importance of making the most of every day. It's taught me to tell the people important to me how much I care about them. 2020 has provided more time to reflect and notice all of the things that may have otherwise been drowned out by the noise of life. When all that noise isn’t buzzing around you you tend to notice a whole lot more. I've noticed my mental acuity isn't as sharp as it once was, my body not as resilient. Yes, it’s also taught me that I've reached the age where grocery stores are playing my jams.
As it turns out 2020 was a perfect year to write my next book, Mindful Moments, for a couple of reasons. For one, I had the time to dedicate myself wholly to it. Secondly, I was able to write about mindfulness techniques that I developed and tested in my real life to help myself deal with the challenges and stresses of our current reality.
An insane amount of hours have gone into this project and I couldn’t be happier with how it turned out. The final revisions were completed just this afternoon. I’m currently in a state of euphoria. Why? People have asked me in the past how I know when a book is done. My answer has always been, Because the nagging voice in the back of my head that whispers, "It’s Not Done Yet" finally stops. It stopped today. I know that the ideas that have been randomly coming to me on bike rides, walks, and while trying to sleep will cease...until the next project.
Normally my wife and I would be going out to celebrate the occasion but not this year because, well, you know – COVID.
As I was writing this blog I began to think about some of the good things that 2020 has brought. I also started thinking about the things that have helped me get through the challenges, fears, and disappointments of this absolute bastard of a year and there are many. Listed below are mine, substantial and frivolous, in no particular order:
I am an American novelist, poet, traveler, and crypto-enthusiast. If you’ve enjoyed my work please sign up for my author newsletter at my website. Newsletter subscribers will receive exclusive updates and special offers and your information will never be sold or shared.
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