When I was only seven years old, I started having issues with my eyes. It was inevitable, of course, because my dad has really bad vision, and my mom’s isn’t perfect either. Ever since, I’ve been stuck with glasses and contacts, and progressively crappy eyesight. Without corrective lenses, my life would be one big technicolor blur. Also, it would be pointless to own so many cacti. Or cactuses. I know it’s probably wrong, but it sounds better and my computer isn’t correcting me.

An amazing thing about life is that we can look back and see things more clearly than when we had faced them head-on. It’s like walking through a park with limited vision and then putting glasses on and retracing your steps. The first time, you’re stumbling through the park, tripping over tree roots and accidentally kicking field goals with small, furry creatures. You can’t see the good or the bad, but the bad scares you more because you know it’s there waiting to trip you. You’re so focused on those roots and stones and unsocialized terriers that you’re missing the good things. You could be feeling the warmth of the sun on your skin, hearing the singing birds, or catching a whiff of the wildflowers. Well, at least the flowers you didn’t step on because you couldn’t see.

But when you walk back through the park with glasses on, you can see everything clearly. You realize that there were so many good things along with the bad that you missed the first time.

This is how I’m looking at 2020.

For a lot of us, this year was terrible. People lost their jobs. Many lost their health or even their lives from Covid19. The world seemed to become angrier, more fearful, and both emotionally and financially depressed. But we all walked through it together, with none of us able to see clearly. We were blindsided by this scary new pandemic world. And in the blurry haze, we could almost distinguish people from one another. The only thing we could see is whether or not our neighbor was wearing a face mask, and that became another source of anger and frustration. If someone didn’t agree with our point-of-view, despite the fact we all couldn’t even see, we lashed out at them.

Now, let’s put on our glasses. If you can read this, congratulations! You have survived 2020! That’s one good thing. Maybe you’ve gotten to spend more quality time with your immediate family this year (or pets!). Maybe you’ve had the privilege of working from home all year ( I call this a privilege because I am an introvert and wearing sweatpants every day should be a God-given right). Have you read a good book, watched a captivating series, or seen a great livestream concert (or seven…thank you, Switchfoot!)? Have you taken up a new hobby, made a tasty new recipe or made a new friend on Zoom? Take a look back and think about the good things you’re accomplished in a year that many are calling a poopfest, a dumpster fire, or other words that I won’t say here.

<p value="<amp-fit-text layout="fixed-height" min-font-size="6" max-font-size="72" height="80">Happy New Year to you all, and here’s hoping that our 2021 will be amazing!Happy New Year to you all, and here’s hoping that our 2021 will be amazing!