Please tell me we aren’t the only ones who stayed up for the ball drop just to ENSURE that 2020 would actually end, right? 

Scott is the most optimistic person I’ve ever known, and I have always fancied myself a *hopeful* realist.  We had so much hope for 2020 that to put any stock into 2021 feels almost…naive? I live by the, “Prepare for the worst, hope for the best” idea. But last night as I geared up to kick 2020 to the curb, I couldn’t help but *hope* for anything better for the world than what transpired last year. 

So what was the first thing I did after I opened my eyes this morning?  Searched through my phone for Queen’s “Don’t Stop Me Now” and BLASTED it as I took my first sips of coffee. Decaf :( 

But that’s ok, because the energy and the hope I have for whatever lies in store for us in 2021 does not warrant the caffeine kick – oh no. I’m more than energized by the prospect that when I write the date from now on, one “20” will be more than sufficient. 

2020 was not entirely lost for us. Though I’m glad to be done with it, if we had not endured the trials that 2020 presented us we would not have gleaned the insight we need to tackle this next year, nor would we have had the epiphany that will forever have altered our course. Hello, #babyminute.

What have we learned this year?

  • The Power of #MedinaStrong – People everywhere responded to the pandemic by banding together in their communities to help support local business, but the people of Medina are a unique breed and the love we felt throughout the spring as we attempted to navigate restrictions at the Shirt Factory still overwhelms us. So many of our friends and fellow community members stood up in an hour of true need, and we will never forget the good deeds that changed all of our lives. 
  • Time in the Same Room vs. Quality Time – After 8 years together, Scott and I are still baffled by the fact that we are never exhausted by time together. However, we feel that for the last many years we allowed time in the same space – be it working at Shirt Factory, walking Cado, doing our real jobs on the couch behind screens each night – to stand in for the time we used to spend truly engaging with each other for quality time. 2020 forced us to slow down, to reevaluate, and to spend time getting to know each other beyond our responsibilities to our family, our business, and our day jobs. We found each other again this year, and I am so thankful that we had the chance to reconnect before we woke up a decade later and realized we lost too much time working. 
  • Facebook is Not for the Faint of Heart – Between the debates over the effectiveness of mask wearing to every person being an expert on politics and virology, we realized that while we love the power of social media we don’t need it in our lives every day. We chose to disengage from the white noise of social media and engage with others in a more authentic way, which has helped us negotiate real friendships and genuine connections. 
  • Priorities, Priorities, Priorities. Bake the damn bread with your kids – and EAT it! Buy extra toilet paper – but give a few rolls to your neighbors in need.  Don’t forget that same small business you rallied behind as their doors were at risk of being permanently shut when restrictions are someday lifted. Walk the canal for your health, sit down to dinner with your family, and call your friends to check on them with as much frequency as your schedule permits.  Oh – and hug your dog. Always hug your dog every chance you get.

But don’t think I learned to embrace my gray hair when all the salons were closed – I’ll be dark brown until one day when I go all purple ;)

2021, guys. May it be everything you hope it to be and everything you don’t know you truly need. Cheers to you, and to a new year.