Over the course of my entire life I have heard repeated warnings about how life can throw you curve balls, and to expect the unexpected. Seriously, ever since I was young I have always kept my expectations low and my hopes high for that very reason. I am a flexible person. I go with the flow. I try not to let a bump in the road throw me off of my course. When I was warned to expect the unexpected, I thought that meant *normal* unexpected events. You know, like your car breaking down on your way to work. Slipping on a patch of ice in the winter and fracturing your wrist, and now you can hardly write an email, let alone get all of your regular responsibilities completed. Losing your wallet. I understood that life is filled with both joy and disappointment, and that one cannot exist without the other. I thought that meant that sometimes you can try your best, and still fail. Maybe that means you made it through six interview rounds just to find out someone else was selected for the job. Maybe that means you can think you have the worlds greatest partner or friend, and what should have been a lifelong forever is now only the occasional Facebook notification. I get it, things happen, no matter how hard you try to seize control of any situation. I was warned about that, but why do I feel like no one warned me about…. this?

2020, despite repeated warnings, I didn’t expect you. You’re more than a bump in the road. You’re very well acquainted with everyone, not just me. Though you may have thrown me off course, you have not thrown me out of the race. Hell, I’m one of the luckiest people I know for that very reason.

I’m going to keep running this beaten path and hold my head up, despite repeated warnings.