It’s no mystery that 2020 was an odd year for all of us. But as I’ve said many times before, the notion that 2020 was a lost year or a horrible year that just needs to end bothers me. Recognizing and focusing on the good in a less than ideal situation doesn’t downplay the hardship; it reframes your mindset to see all of it – the good and the bad – in a more positive light.
As I look back on 2020 and the goals I set at the beginning of the year, I think I accomplished all of about zero of them. Some were maybe too lofty, some became impossible with things being closed down, some I honestly forgot about and picked back up a little late in the year. But when I think about what I did accomplish and what 2020 meant for my life? It was a heck of a year.
We had ample family time! I kept hearing people say they were tired of being stuck in the same house with the same people day after day. To be honest? That was one of my favorite parts of 2020. My husband has traveled our entire relationship. Before this year, we had spent at most two weeks consecutively together (except his paternity leave which is hard to count since it wasn’t just the two of us, and we were so distracted with a newborn and all). This year gave us nine straight months of him home with no end in sight, and it’s been wonderful. We’ve grown together as a couple and as a family in ways we couldn’t have planned for in 2020.
We got to see our son grow in such an intimate way. My husband and I didn’t miss a thing in our son’s development which is such a blessing. And the fact that we were able to see it all happen together rather than me calling to tell my husband about our son’s first steps or first words is something for which I am so grateful.
I competed in my first CrossFit competition (almost exactly 4 years since I started CF! Started December 3, 2016, and the competition was December 5, 2016). It was a goal I didn’t even know I had. Ironically, when I first started doing CrossFit four years ago, I said there was no way I would ever compete. But earlier this year, I mentioned to my husband that I wanted to challenge myself with a competition, and just a few weeks later, our gym owner announced an in-house competition. It was small, and I wasn’t in my best shape. But I did it with some amazing support by my side, and I’m so proud. Shout out to Lacey for being the best partner, the husbands and sons for being our pit crew, and Black Iron for hosting.
We cooked WAY more at home than eating out (which we normally do, but I did a lot more of the cooking than my husband which was new). I’m not the best cook….I’m much more of a baker. I like having instructions and following them. Baking is precise which is more my speed unlike cooking which has dashes and pinches and unlisted ingredients that come by taste. But I’m getting better! And having my husband who is an EXCELLENT chef at home so much has helped.
2020 became the year of the budget for me. I’ve always been the one in charge of my family’s finances, but I took a very laid back approach to it. We thankfully never had issues paying our bills, and I figured that was enough. But this year, I got frustrated that we weren’t making more progress on some of our big financial goals. So with some focus (and a lot of listening to Dave Ramsey), we have a solid zero-based budget and are finally progressing in a big way on some goals we’ve had for quite some time.
I continued swapping harsh, toxic chemicals with safer alternatives in our home. While I already had the cleaning supplies under control, I focused a lot on the bathroom and personal care this year. I made a ton of progress even though my husband is a little stubborn. This year more than ever, we have been bombarded with sanitizers and cleaners at every corner, most of which are filled with harsh chemicals not meant for constant and continuous use. Many of these cleaners and sanitizers contain known carcinogens, endocrine disrupting agents, and other toxic chemicals (think things like methanol that the FDA warned about in June). Limiting our exposure to those ingredients in public and ensuring our home has effective but clean alternatives has been a big goal of mine this year.
I officially started my blog! I have played around with the idea of a blog for many, many years, but I never felt like I had anything pertinent to say. Throughout the extensive research I did on natural pregnancy, birth, and parenting while pregnant with my son, the unexpected exclusively pumping journey, and helping countless friends and family with their pregnancies and births, I really found a passion and my voice. There is so much more to come with this blog. 2020 was just the beginning.
2020 was the first year that I got to spend each and every day as a mama. I have adored learning my new role and raising a little human. Being able to see the world through new eyes – through his eyes – is miraculous. The beauty of innocence and pure wonder is indescribable, and I feel so honored to have a front row seat to it everyday. And in 2021, I’ll get to do it a whole lot more because coming late summer of 2021, there will be another little one in our home!!
So there you have it. 2020 was a year like any other – it had ups and downs, challenges and successes, moments of glory and moments of pain. I choose to focus on the great parts because there were more of those than many would expect. We can’t allow the dark to overshadow the light. We can’t allow our fear to overcome our faith. We can’t allow the negatives to outweigh the overwhelming positives. As we look to 2021, let’s all remember one simple thing: YOU are in control of your destiny. YOU control the year you have. Let 2021 be another great one. Happy New Year!!