My father turned 88 on New Year’s Day. I know a lot of people think that is old, however I do not see him that way. I see him as my Dad, the man who always shows his love for me in one way or another, even if he’s not big on talking to me on the phone (to be fair, he’s not a fan of it in general).
The turning of the new year has always had special meaning for my family because it’s my dad’s birthday. He typically roasts a duck and my mom and family make the sides and “fixins” that come with it every year. This year was of course, a little different. Instead of feasting on roasted duck, we ordered individual meals from a popular sandwich and soup restaurant. We sat outside and only took our masks off to eat as we sat at least 6 feet apart. I wanted to see my father on his birthday, partly because I am not sure how many he has left to celebrate. However, I also knew I wanted him (and my mom and all my family) to stay well.
I was texting with a few friends the other day and we all agreed that the beginning of this year is completely “blah”. It’s nothing like the feeling of a fresh start we usually have, a time to reassess and begin again. Sure we can toss our old calendars, but that doesn’t mean our worries and fears go in the trash with them. Instead we are still stuck inside our homes (for the most part), doing our best to modify years of routines that drastically changed only 9 months ago.
Most people look for some kind of reset at the new year, whether it be a revised lifestyle centered around more exercise and less cake, or financial goals to save more or spend less. I see resolutions this year revolving around staying generally healthy (as in stay home and don’t get Covid) and spending even more time with our families, in and around our homes.
I have always been wishy-washy on New Year’s resolutions myself. In the blogging/writing world it has been popular in the past to choose or be randomly paired up with a word for the year. I have done so in the past and last year my word was “gift”. I promptly forgot it, even though I wrote about it on Facebook, saying I would do my best to be a gift to others. As we all know, last year got away from us and many of our desires, goals and even needs went by the way side. I hope I gifted someone with something they needed at some point.
I know so many of us were more than ready to put the year 2020 in our rearview mirrors and move on, more so than other years past. It wasn’t the best year for our family either, as it started off pretty crappy with a fire at my parents’ home at the end of January and then the hits kept coming. They spaced themselves out a little, however I grew especially tired of wondering when the next thing was coming. We of course suffered our own house issues after a large limb fell on our home during Hurricane Laura at the end of August. We are still waiting on a window to be replaced, yet we count ourselves lucky. Just a few weeks later, Hurricane Delta came through our area and did much worse to some of our neighbors. As my wise father has said many times over the years, “it can always be worse.”
I guess that is how I feel about 2020, it wasn’t the best of times, however there were still many good moments. I am happy to leave it behind and would like to get more “hyped” about this new year than I have so far. I think my goal will need to be self care, as the beginning of this year has already brought about some extra stressors in my life. It is time to move on from the many, many challenges of last year and find renewed hope in what is to come. I do believe this year will be better than last year. But if I quantify it that way I get bogged down, so I plan to take it day by day and week by week. I think at this point that is our best approach – to appreciate each new day and our loved ones who are there by our side for it all, good and bad.
So, happy Monday tomorrow. I hope it’s a really good day for you. And that the next one is too, and on and on…
xoxo
