Dear 2020,

Thank you.

It’s pretty hard to believe that these are the first words that come to mind after all this year has thrown everyone’s way, but they are the most truthful words that rise to the top for me as the year comes to a close.

Thank you for reminding me of why I fell in love with my husband.
It’s not that I had forgotten who he was or what Andrew brought to my life, but it was absolutely that I had let the routine of getting all of the stuff – household, kids, work, you name it – done overshadow the small day to day joys that come from living with someone you love so much.  When you can’t run all the errands; when you don’t have all the social plans; and when you aren’t traveling for work, you are mostly just focusing on what’s in your present view and for me, that has been my husband whom I’m reminded is one of the most loving and willing people I know.

Thank you for showing me the lengths I am willing to go to to be with people I care about.
You really get a sense for how much love there is in your community when people walk through the dog poop pebble path along the side of your house to come over for dinner.  I’ve been blown away at how resourceful we’ve all become whether it was the initial rush to Zoom cocktails and dinners or the electric blankets friends have schlepped around to sit outside in the freezing temps. The ‘who’ not the ‘what’ has really risen to the top.

Thank you for creating a forcing function for me to slow down.
I was running hard having found a way to replace a really intense job with a smorgasbord of professional and personal commitments.  When your 10 and 12-year-olds are home all day and don’t really understand why work they can’t see or touch is so much more important than their Mom needs at the moment, my perspective on what I give time and energy to unexpectedly increased.

Thank you for helping me find my confidence.
Who knew we could start a successful business to start with, much less in a pandemic!  Well, now I know that I can absolutely make that sh*t happen and that maybe it’s time to ditch that imposter syndrome that rears its head all too often.

Thank you for testing my faith in humanity.
Our society is far from perfect and 2020 has tested it like no one’s business.  That said, we have seen so many people in this country and around the world stand up for the ideals and values that represent the best in us, and reject those that aim to center us around individualism, nationalism, and autocracy.  All while we see so many acts of community, kindness, and service – look no further than the roughly 55 million essential workers in the U.S. right now.

Thank you for emphasizing how fragile health can be.
We feel so lucky that no one in our immediate family or community has lost their life to Covid-19.  We have had several close to us get right up to that edge.  Friends and family who are otherwise healthy, thriving young people finding themselves on ventilators; friends turned into overnight acute home health workers and home sanitization machines. I take my health for granted and 2020 has definitely driven me to shift the mindset of assumed entitlement to an active investment I have to nurture.

Thank you for the extra time with my kids who are growing up too fast.
I thought we all spent a lot of time together, especially when we moved to Denver.  This year, out of necessity more than original intention, the four of us have been together much more.  That has meant more family movie nights, more dog walks, more group baking and cooking memories, more game nights, more reading in bed, and perhaps my favorite, more conversation at dinner about everything from world events to the intoxicating swirl of adventure in a 4th and 6th-grade girl’s life. While we can’t slow their growth, this has certainly slowed the dramatic shift from little tiny baby to sassy teenagers.

So yeah, unexpectedly, thank you 2020.  It’s been quite a unique and intense experience; and writing this has made me realize this may be one of the years I should be most thankful for.