2020- The Unexpected Layover (Not a Dumpster Fire)
reflections on a year that took us all by surprise
Usually, as a year draws to a close, I look back on what we did that year, and go through my memento jar. In a normal year, that jar holds tickets, baby shower invitations, wedding invitations etc.
This year, my jar is empty.
Literally empty.
Yet, it doesn’t tell the true story of the year.
We saw movies, we just saw them streamed at home. We attended virtual holidays and a virtual baby shower. Our friends got married, but just had a small family ceremony. In short, good things happened in spite of everything.
I hate the common depiction of 2020 as a dumpster fire, because for our family, it wasn’t.
A dumpster fire assumes that there was nothing of worth, a year that was trash set on fire, inside a stinky, gross container.
That’s not 2020 to me.
This year was one of letting go of expectations, with every holiday changed in some way, and of a lot more time together at home. It was a year that we expected to be filled with sports, family gatherings and “normal” life, but instead we got handed a year without most of that.
