The Year of Growth

I am pretty certain that we can all agree that 2020 has been eventful, yeah? It has been one crazy ride. It has put so many bumps in the road for all of us. I started 2020 out very excited, I was a senior in high school and it was finally MY TURN to graduate. It was my turn to walk across the stage and get MY diploma. It was my turn to celebrate my success because graduating is an accomplishment for so many reasons. Not only is it a success academically, but it is also a mental success because you can deal with a lot of shit in high school and personally I think in some ways it teaches you to have some pretty tough skin. 2020 was my year to finally be thankful that part of my life was history. I was ready for my future.

Buuuuut…. I think we all know the story from there. March 12, something crazy took over. Woah, actually let me back up a few months. Let's back up to November of 2019, there I was, sitting in my government class. I loved my teacher, but I was more than likely bored out of my mind and learning about things that I really should care about but did not. My teacher was showing us clips about this pandemic called the ‘Coronavirus.’ It seemed terrifying and deathly. I honestly did not want to partake in this pandemic, but fast forward a couple of months, back to March 12, it seemed that I had no choice. Our country shut down, believe it or not. Yeah, you heard me correctly; Our. Country. Shut. Down. OMGGGGG! This could not be happening, my senior year? 2020? The year that I personally had been waiting for for many years? You have got to be kidding me. Okay but let's be real, folks, the first couple of weeks were pretty okay because nobody knew how long this would go, and I had in my mind that we would go back to school. So two weeks off? Heck yeah, I am into that.

Yeah, well update, we never go back.

But think about it, how much different life would be if we could replay March 12, and not have quarantine happen? Our lives would be totally different. Yeah, sure, we would not know any different but just because there have been things this year that have made the year difficult does not mean we can’t choose to look at the bright sides.

Our memories of the last few months would be non-existent, and if I am being honest, I really do not know if I could wish for such a thing. I am pretty satisfied with this year actually because it has taught me a lot about our world, myself, and I have met so many great people through this all. Listen, things happen on purpose, and it is all timed perfectly. Nothing happens by accident, everything is timed and planned to some extent, and maybe we do not realize that, but everything happens for a reason.

For me this year has been the year of self-growth. At the beginning of Covid-19, I was pretty devastated about losing my senior year. I looked at all of the negatives: Lost the typical last high school memories, uncertain whether we would have prom, senior trip, or graduation, did not know if I’d get to participate in my last season of softball. It got to be SO depressing. Guys, we cannot afford to look at life so negatively, so instead of me feeling bad for myself and thinking about the things that I lost, I decided to start thinking about the things I had gained. I got to watch my community all try and come together to try and make things better for us. Yes, us as seniors, and us as a school, and community. They were all working together for ideas. We ended up getting a prom because somebody was willing to offer up their wedding barn for us. It was a beautiful place, and pretty unforgettable. Our senior trip maybe didn’t totally happen the way we wanted it to. We maybe did not get to go to the place we had hoped, but the whole point of a senior trip is to spend some fun last moments with your classmates before saying goodbye, and we were able to do that at a place in the state. Our graduation was not the traditional graduation ceremony, but in my opinion, it was way better. We got to have it outside, and the weather was absolutely perfect! Everything came together and helped this all happen for us, and to me, that is pretty cool to witness.

I still got to spend time with all my friends. Yes, technically we were not really supposed to due to Covid-19, but these friends were basically family at the time and we spent literally every day together, plus we had to make the most of our situation. We did so much together. I got to meet and spend lots of time with my future roommate at the time who also introduced me to my boyfriend I have now. Like everything that is going good right now, is all because of everything that happened this year. I just simply do not find this to be a coincidence, I think that this is meant to be.

This year has been quite the learning lesson but it also has been a huge blessing in disguise. I think sometimes we get so caught up in the bad in life, and are blind to all of the good that is happening all around us, I just felt the need to write this because sometimes I need a reminder and maybe I am not the only one who does.

So this next week, every day, I dare you to find 3 negatives from each day. I promise you, it will help you start looking at the good things in life, and maybe you can look back at 2020 as one of the craziest but best years in history.