2020 – No one saw it coming…

This is the last day of 2020.  And because I don't ever want to forget what we've gone through this year, I am going to write my own summary of events, by month, below.  I chose this image for today because it is the exact same door I posted last year on this day.  And like me, it's a little older, a little more worn, slightly worse for the wear ... but still standing.  

This year has been one of the hardest of my lifetime.  There have been periods during the last 12 months where it was hard for me get out of bed; days where I felt I was going to drown in sadness; days where even the simplest activity seemed too much. But here I am; here WE are.  Tentatively optimistic about 2021.  

And now, here is my recap of 2020...

January – Australia was on fire while the world watched in horror.   The US killed Iranian General Qasem Soleimani, nearly tipping us into a war.  The Duke and Duchess of Sussex step down as Royals.  And on the other side of the world, the World Health Organization announced a deadly new coronavirus that had emerged in Wuhan, China.  We didn’t really pay much attention…
February – The Boy Scouts of America filed for bankruptcy, embroiled in scores of lawsuits alleging systemic sexual abuse.  Harvey Weintstein was found guilty.  And we got an extra day.
March – Covid 19 spread in the US, causing stay-at-home orders, massive business closures and record unemployment.  The NBA suspends its season due to Covid 19.  The WHO officiallydeclared Covid19 a Pandemic. The Olympics in Japan were postponed.
April – Canada had their deadliest mass shooting in history when a gunman killed 22 people in Nova Scotia.  In New Jersey and New York, the virus ravaged senior living facilities and overloaded hospital capacity throughout the region.  Hospitals ran out of beds, and refrigeration trucks were parked at hospitals to house the dead.  Each day saw more deaths and more sickness and it felt like we were living in some horrible science fiction movie.
May – The death toll of Covid 19 surpassed 100,000 people.  Murder Hornets were reported in the northwestern US. The video of the murder of Ahmaud Arbery was released, shocking a nation.  And on May 25, Henry Floyd was killed by a police officer who had his knee on Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes, sparking outrage and protests around the world.
June and July– a brief respite from Covid 19 while the world raged about systemic racism and the Black Lives Matter movement gained momentum in the wake of tragic deaths.
August – the western United States burned with massive wildfires.  An explosion at the Beirut airport killed over 190 people and injured thousands.  Joe Biden won the Democratic nomination for President and picked Kamala Harris as his running mate, making her the first woman of color to be named to a national party’s presidential ticket.  For many of us, it seemed like a tiny ray of light in a dark world.  Meanwhile, more racial violence flared in Kenosha, Wisconsin and the Milwaukee NBA team refused to participate in a playoff game in protest of the racism; more teams followed suit.
September – the US passed 200.000 cases of Covid 19, a grim milestone. Ruth Bader Ginsburg died at the age of 87, leaving behind a legacy of humanity. Covid cases are rising around the world.
October – both the President and his wife tested positive for Covid; both recovered.  Amy Coney Barrett was named to the US Supreme Court, sealing a conservative majority.
November – in the largest voter turnout in history, Joe Biden was named President-elect; while Trump refused to concede the election.  And Covid 19 numbers in the US continued to surge.  One of the biggest hurricane seasons in history came to a close.  US healthcare officials pleaded with Americans not to travel over the Thanksgiving holiday.
December – The cumulative death toll in the US passes 300,000; and 1.8 million across the globe.  Antarctica records its first cases of the virus.  The UK, Nigeria and South Africa all discover new mutant strains of Covid 19.  Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are being administered in many countries around the world and the UK has just approved the Astra Zeneca vaccine.  Meanwhile, hospitals around the world are struggling with capacity to care for sick patients. 


Together, let's face 2021.  Let's do it with kindness and love and maybe some chocolate...

xo
Debbi