The Nest: "Hello, My Name is 2021"
~ 2020 ~
You could have been the one. Instead you really threw me for a loop, you’ve made my top three for the toughest years of my life so far. I have more whiplash from you than a Kardashian drama. Maybe some years in a lifetime are given to us so that facing the unexpected pushes us to evolve, grow, and conquer.
You taught me what a need versus a want is. You taught me the true meaning of gratitude and the power of prayer. The feeling of pure kindness bestowed upon me from complete strangers who made PPE to keep me safe. The loss and grief you showed me have only made my happiness that much more precious to me. You showed me just exactly what I can work through; what humanity is capable of. You taught me to love harder, enjoy the small things, and truly live in the present. You taught me how important my Netflix subscription is.
I’ve got to move on in some way though. I am ready to let go of the worst of the baggage I could choose to carry with me into this next year. You taught me that life is too short to worry about that baggage. As tough as it is to have lived through you, it has also been one of the most remarkable years of my life. Thanks for sculpting me into a changed and better woman. I’ll hold your lessons in my heart and walk gracefully and humbly into 2021.
We’re on a blind date. Their name tag reads: Hello, my name is 2021. I know you’re hesitant; I am too. I’m not going to sugar-coat our experiences in 2020 or tell you that I think 2021 will be the best year you’ve ever met. I think it’ll take some time for us to figure out if we trust this year or what we plan on doing with it. Lessons from 2020 will most likely follow us for the rest of our lives. Despite this last year, I am going to try to bring the good with me and hope for the best. Keep an open mind and all of that.
Let’s give 2021 a chance. Find some genuine happiness for ourselves this year. Continue those stay-at-home hobbies that got you through 2020. Keep tending to those potted plants that somehow made it through your intermittent watering schedule and continue to zoom your long-distance family and friends. We now know what we are capable of and what we can accomplish in pandemic times. Let’s hope this year we can apply what we’ve learned and enjoy things because we want to, not because we have no other choice.
I am writing this blog on New Year’s Eve and I have to tell you I’m feeling like a prayer was answered that my family and I can move into the next year. 2021: I hope you’re ready for the loving, knowledgeable, and determined people that are about to start this year. We’ve been through some of the worst experiences and witnessed equally incredible triumphs. I don’t know what to expect from you yet, but I know myself much better than last year. I’ll take you as you are this next time around the sun.
Hello, My Name is Reba. It’s nice to meet you 2021.
Reba Tappan writes The Nest blog. She is mom to an adorable little boy, who she enjoys pushing in the stroller around her neighborhood with her husband. She writes about life as a working mother while navigating the journey to maintaining a mom-bod.
