Like everyone, this year was tough there’s really no sugar coating that. This year also brought me more joy, more peace, and more clinging to the Lord than ever. I am making this blog post to share the 10 things 2020 taught me and I will bring with me next year
1. Take things one day at a time. You are not promised tomorrow, next week or next month. Time is going to pass regardless. I learned to stop putting things off and do whatever “it” was today.
2. You don’t need fancy restaurants and to spend a million dollars for a perfect date night. Pre-pandemic Saturday nights were for date nights or date days, I loved them and looked forward to them every week. Whether it was going out for dinner or walking around Palm Springs I always looked forward to it. When March 13 happened I felt like date nights went non existent, waiting when life would open up again and we could go out and do fun things. We’ve had concert plans, sporting event plans and travel plans that went out the door. 2020 taught us to find and make our own dates. I still look forward to the weekends, we recently started making more dinners on the weekend that we wouldn’t normally during the week. We are cooking more together and enjoying more quiet simple things together.
3. It’s okay not to be okay. As cliche as that sounds this year taught me how true the statement is. It’s okay to cry, be mad, angry and sad all at the same time. It’s okay to have a million and five questions, it’s okay to hurt and feel all the things. This year taught me that, but it also taught me not to dwell on those things. Through meditation I’ve learned to feel all the things but I’ve also learned to let it go. I’m still working on that last part.
4. Board games are a lot of fun, except monopoly and I’ll just leave it at that.
5. While physical touch is not my love language it’s still something I need and something I miss. Giving a handshake to someone you just met and a hug or a high five to one of the kids at the club, I really miss that.
6. Drink the water and eat the ice cream. I know, you can roll your eyes all you want to but drinking or aiming to drink 1 gallon of water everyday has changed my life. I give drinking water credit to my decrease in brain fog and clear skin. Water is also your body’s way of detoxing as well. There is no need to drink certain juices, or go on a “cleanse” to detox your body, just drink your dang water! Also ice cream, don’t forget to eat ice cream because ice cream makes people happy.
7. I can be creative. I use to get to upset that I wasn’t “creative” however this year taught me that’s false. I just never found something I wanted to create. As tiny as this blog is it’s been an outlet to create something so small. It’s been a way to let my creative juices flowing and share a little bit of my heart. I also forgot how much I loved baking, more of that in 2021.
8. The simplicity of a walk. I didn’t think a walk could be so impactful but it sure it. It gives your body a little bit of movement and gives your mind a little bit more clarity. 30 minutes a day with a cute little dog at the end of your leash is all it took some days for my mood to turn around. Highly recommend.
9. Choose Joy. The Christmas Eve church service I attended was all about joy, and that true joy comes from the Lord, which couldn’t be anymore true. But everyday is a choice, and if you want to have that joy in your heart you have to choose it, every single day. Being happy is a temporary feeling but the joy and love that comes from Jesus lasts forever. Joy is hard though, it’s easy to choose that joy and love when everything seems to be going right. It’s hard to choose that joy during those tough times in March and April when you feel sad and lonely, taking bubble baths at 2 pm on a Tuesday wondering if this is ever going to end.
10. How little control I have and how much control God has and should have. We can plan and hope and wish and dream but at the end of the day if it’s not in God’s plan for us then it’s not going to happen. I can plan and try to control my future, my career, when I’m finishing school, what time I make it home from work, my plans for the weekend but I’ve learned that it’s not up to me. And honestly that feels good. The Lord has already written my story, who am I to think I am better than Him and try to change it. He has control, from the beginning of time, in 2020 and going on to the next year. He is in control.
2020 was a dumpster fire, there is no doubt about that. And just because the clock changes to a new year doesn’t mean 2021 will be any better. But there is hope, there is joy that we can choose and there is a weight we can take off our shoulders and that’s my prayer going into the new year.
Let it go and give it to God
As Always,
Abi
As Always Abi 