Well, 365 days have come and went as our 2020 hourglass trickles down its last specs of sand.
December 31 provided a period on our year, polluted with obstacles tripping us up as we gain our stride once more just to collide into another dilemma.
The pandemic was overwhelming along with the politics of racial divide and a dramatic election that provided all the extracurriculars you could imagine.
However, despite using 2020 as an excuse for our misfortune, to most of us, this year’s largest feat to overcome was putting on a mask.
Sadly, a large majority of the world was so overcome with the headlines and headaches that some may not have noticed all there was to gain. The claustrophobic walls suffocated us as we were forced to have family dinners again at times seem dreadful, yet in reality are rare and pure in our bustling society.
Our greediness and grind is slowed and defeated with an enlightened appreciation for the small moments with grandma, despite her smile being hidden by a mask. The most miniscule, nonchalant occasions become enlarged when we observe what we have, versus what has been taken away and our gratitude will exponentially skyrocket our happiness to its peak.
As the past 12 months conclude and we begin again. The world will not change much at all.
The gyms will be a little busier, then simmer down following suit of years past, and we will still be forced to smile through masks, at least for the time being.
Disasters will still haunt us, and tragedies will not halt.
The blessing of 2021 is a new year and 365 new days with thousands of new moments providing us with even more choices to make.
We must choose to count the missed opportunities or step through new doors that open.
We must choose to live in grief of those lost or celebrate the moments we had with them.
A calendar tells us the date and ensures we remember birthdays, but the new year does not shift much at all.
The only change that can be made is by you.
That change. Begins now.
— Jack Mueller