Don’t let the title mislead you, this year will probably go down as one that we wished we could forget but will always remember. Going forward I want it to be known that my intentional positivity in no way discounts or makes light of the hardships that have been dealt throughout this year to anyone. With that being said, I purposefully waited to write this on one of the last days of series finale that is 2020 so that it could be as true an encompassing reflection as possible. This year has been a year that has felt both short and long in duration, I believe part of that could be for me its extreme monotonous nature and required quarantines amounting to enduring the time but not much “action” occurring throughout.
Worst year ever? Indeed. This year has seen more than its fair share of turmoil. As a history enthusiast and teacher, I can’t help but think about the phrase “someone always has it worse” while looking at our place in history but that doesn’t mean what has happened to us as a human race isn’t real or important. I’ve heard and read many comments on social media throughout the year from people referencing several pandemic related events throughout history as comparison to our own situation. Part of me is glad anytime a subject perceived as excruciatingly boring as history is discussed; however, nothing could make this pandemic end soon enough so that everyone can go back to their ideal normal. The effects it has had on society with losses of jobs, homes, businesses, and most importantly the lives makes this year exceptional in it’s negative aspects, at least in my lifetime. I think this will be a year that hits just about everybody in someway and the pandemic is only one portion of the bad. Like every year, life throws good and bad our way with the regular hardships of life in our jobs or personal lives with finances or loss of friends and family so coping with these is that much more difficult because the pandemic has been an added layer of stress to us all in these areas. However, with that being said, no matter how rough this year has been I like to take into account the good and let it override the bad. As someone who tends to let the negative gain focus I’ve been attempting to purposefully focus on the good in all things. That was something my late grandmother only ever seen in all aspects of her life and persistently tried to instill in me so in a way this attempted practice has been a nice consistent reminder of her on my mind.
Looking from a certain pint of view, that being the positive, this year has offered some good things for me. Before the pandemic hit, I went on a fun trip with my sister and brother-in-law to Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida. The entire theme park is a fun experience but there’s something about the Harry Potter portion that just can’t be beat. That was the sole case of me “traveling” this year. The rest of the year I found other activities to fill that space: throwing my dog’s frisbee as much as he wanted, going on walks to a nearby state park, tv, videogames, and improvised exercising as a result of my guilt from gaining weight from quarantine. One of my favorite activities was going to a drive-in theater nearby with my sister, brother-in-law, and nephew to watch the Harry Potter films and enjoy their Butterbeer floats. Catching Empire Strikes Back for it’s Fortieth Anniversary in theater with my dad is also a highlight for me as a huge Star Wars fan. Speaking of Star Wars, the Mandalorian’s second season definitely ranks very high in the positives for this year. The season offered lots of Mando action and character develop for him and his little sidekick but also introduced new elements that have already been announced to be in develop like the Ahsoka show. I also think several elements, devices, or characters will be put into play in the future similar to the return of Greef Karga, Cara Dune, and Mayfeld were this season but those are just my personal fan theories. One thing is for certain, going forward the Star Wars franchise looks to be full of content.
Finally, some of my top positives of the year fall under the literature category. Taking a look at my bookshelves I estimate that I’ve read about forty-six books, more if you count rereads and multiple books contained in one collection. I have read more books this year than I ever have but I also read quite a few comic trade paperbacks. If it weren’t for my already long and ever-growing reading list I would feel almost feel accomplished. Finally reading The Lord of the Rings and The Chronicles of Narnia are two that I wished I had read much earlier in my life instead of only contenting myself with their movie adaptations. Lev Grossman’s Magicians Trilogy were fun to read, especially since I picked it up immediately after reading the previous two as well as a reread of Harry Potter. I’m still working my way through the Dune Series but I did finish Frank Herbert’s original works and am now treading into the other novels. Dune was a surprise for me, I only picked up the first book because the movie adaptation that was supposed to release around this time looked “cool.” However, I am now hooked on this series and really hope the upcoming movie is successful so that further installments can bring more of the books to the screen. As usual I read some Star Wars books that did not disappoint but not as many as normal as some releases were pushed back similar to many movies. This year I also started this website and trying my hand at blogging which has been fun to figure out, not just as a teacher but personally I think we should learn throughout our life so that we are always growing in some way. Writing wise I wrote a short story, a book, and a first draft on the first of a book series I’ve been playing around with for several years which I do feel accomplished about even though I now know that these are only the first steps on that path.
What a year it has been. The trial that has been 2020 will be remember and still endured next year but I am determined to do my best to at the very least have a positive outlook. There was a time in my life that I allowed stress to reign but I was only worse for it and since then I have had the point of view that it’s just not worth it. I do get stressed and feel strong emotions but I try to keep my outlook in the direction where I don’t let them infect my mind and send me back down the dark path. This year has attempted that with many of us and for good reason, but I will always remember the good times I had with family, the many adventures I went on in the books I read this year and how good it felt to write out what the imagination of my mind needed to expel. I would encourage the same of anyone who happens to read this. With all that being said, even with all the fun I made myself have this year, 2020 as a whole would not be something I would recommend again after this viewing.
