It is almost surreal that 2020 has come to an end. In many ways, I know that not a lot is different now than from, well, yesterday, but I still like to take the opportunity every new year to look toward the future.

2020 brought a lot of change for me, and while I didn't quite appreciate the new quarantine lifestyle, it forced me to *actually* slow down. Well, more like stop. Physical distancing, mask wearing, and curbside everything became my new normal. I was really lucky though. I can easily avoid people (home is already my workplace) and I thrive pretty hardcore in solitude. I was also lucky that my son, who turned 4 this year, also thrived outside of the pressures of needing to "catch up" with his peers. Without all those pressures, we finally got a chance to breathe, figure out what was important, and my son made leaps and bounds in his own time, on his own terms.

But he wasn't the only one to have huge growth! I found my voice, and with the help of some mindfulness practice, negative voices I'd been battling my entire life became a lot quieter, and they definitely stopped dictating how I ran my life. These things I considered huge wins in a year fraught with relentless pain and evil figures poisoning half the population.

What does 2021 hold for me? While I have my list of goals in hand and I'm ready to tackle them all, I know to keep my expectations in check. I don't plan on traveling still. I don't plan on seeing anyone outside the bubble. It'll be at least another year before I visit with friends and family far away. Homeschooling is definitely a given for me. I should maybe video chat people more so I can see faces. Mostly though, I still just want us all to be healthy, and I want to work toward a better, kinder planet, and if we inch closer this next year, that gives me hope.