Saying Goodbye to 2020 Brings Pure Happiness — the Most Insane Year Ever is Finally Hitting Your Rearview Mirror

It’s finally time to bid 2020 adieu, and its ouster comes not a moment too soon.

It all started so promisingly, with glitzy galas and Great Gatsby toasts ― the skies lit by fireworks at midnight. 2020 roared on the scene pointing the way to the glamorous, fashionable and endlessly fun “Twenties” we had in store.

How did the year skid off the tracks so quickly?

We watched, with jaws agape, as a “novel” virus decimated Italy and swept like wildfire across Europe. Soon it was on our own doorstep, filling the United States map with ever expanding red dots. The entire world found itself in quarantine and we all learned the meaning of the phrase “a new normal.”

In no time at all we looked like Nick Nolte from Down and out in Beverly Hills ― with wild hair, scruffy beards, unkept nails, and loose fitting clothes.

To borrow a lyric from the late, great Mac Davis (who also passed this year), “Happiness is 2020 in my rearview mirror.”

Thankfully it’s time to bid farewell to this dumpster fire of a year. Don’t let the door hit you on the way out 2020 ―hasta la vista baby!

The New Normal

We’ve all lived through the first truly global pandemic since the Spanish Flu in 1918, which killed more than 50 million worldwide.

Navigating the unprecedented coronavirus outbreak this year has been a learning curve of epic proportions. Lives lost, disaster declarations, mask mandates, schools and businesses shuttered. And only now with vaccines rolling out and a glint of hope on the horizon, can we even begin to evaluate the devastation it has caused.

Rumors of impending quarantine mandates led to an all-out, no holds barred, run on toilet paper. Suddenly the most underappreciated household item became the most sought after. Empty shelves at the supermarket had us eyeballing the leaves in our yard and rationing squares. The great toilet paper shortage of 2020 brought those childhood camping nightmares back to mind.

Fashion took a turn for the worse this year. We transitioned from stylish and stiletto to stretchy pants and sneakers in a hurry. And thanks to virtual meetings it was only necessary to manage your professional wardrobe from the waist up ― giving rise to mullet dressing ― business for the camera, athleisure (at best) below.

With Zoom backgrounds you could pretend to be at the beach or skiing in the Alps, because you weren’t going anywhere, any time soon. Suddenly every day was casual Friday, until things got so dire and disheveled that most people simply turned their cameras off altogether.

For some reason sourdough starter became the must-have item of the season, as many took to their kitchens in search a fulfilling new hobby. All those carbs and comfort cooking may make stretchy pants the “new normal” well into 2021.

When mask mandates swept the land, two basic types of people emerged. Fashionistas ― the ones who used to match their bows to their bobby-socks, began making statements with their masks, simply refusing to roll over like the rest of us, who were so embarrassed by our overgrown hair and Guinness Book length nails that we chose to don a baseball cap and hide behind the biggest mask we could find.

Businesses went under and unemployment claims sky rocketed ― especially locally owned service industry jobs. While big-box stores and delivery services like Amazon (let’s face it, no one had better year than Jeff Bezos) experienced unprecedented success, millions of mom and pops simply couldn’t compete and shuttered for good.

Alcohol sales soared as well in 2020. While tasting rooms at breweries, distilleries and wineries were largely mothballed, virtual tastings and cocktail hours with friends came into vogue. Heck, in Texas it was a bit like the Wild West again ― thanks to the special dispensation which allowed for alcohol restaurant takeout and delivery cocktail kits.

This wasn’t quite the “Roaring Twenties” we had envisioned, but we made do. Didn’t we?

An Apocalyptic Year

The word “apocalyptic” was used widely (for nearly everything) in 2020, and for good reason. We’ve certainly witnessed chaos, destruction and natural disasters of Biblical proportions.

Cue the murder hornets.

Just when we thought it was safe to venture outside to walk our dogs, or ride our bikes, to get some “fresh air” after being couped up inside for weeks, we heard about the “murder hornets” which had been spotted for the first time ever in Washington state. Monstrous looking, two-inch long, giant Asian hornets, that could decimate the crucial bee population, struck fear in the hearts of agriculture and environmentalists in equal measure, and had some of us looking both ways every time we opened the door.

We watched helplessly, in silence, as wildfires torched four million acres in California alone. That not only broke the record set in 2018 for fire damage in the state ― it doubled it. Smoldering ruins were witnessed in other states too, including Washington, Oregon and Colorado. To add insult to injury, we learned that some blazes were actually lit by arsonists.

The Atlantic hurricane season was one for the record books. There were so many hurricanes this year that once they ran through the approved list of human names, they had to shift to the Greek alphabet to name them all. While you might not have batted an eyelash at Hurricane Delta (people do name their children Delta after all), you are not alone for questioning names like Zeta and Iota, giving a whole new meaning to “$*!%-storm” this year.

The nation was horrified by the murder of George Floyd by the Minneapolis police, which triggered historic, largely peaceful marches. Still some cities erupted into violence, bringing even more upheaval to many reeling communities and businesses across the country. Heaping sadness upon sadness.

But Black Lives Matter also became an international movement that no one could ignore, bringing hope that the future can be different.

Over the course of time, we learned more about COVID-19, and how it attacks “vulnerable populations” ― especially those who are older or those with underlying medical conditions. That required “social distancing” for most of us, but total isolation for others.

The isolation encountered this year has affected us all ― compounding depression and anxiety. The introverts and Generation Xers among us are faring far better than most. (If you are a member of Gen X or know someone who is — or just want to learn more — check out my PaperCity story detailing the phenomenon.)

Few people will look back on 2020 with any affection ― perhaps only those who happily exchanged vows this year, or shared the joy of welcoming a baby into the family. It’s been a year.

Where Do We Go From 2020?

With so much adversity comes some profound realizations though. We’ve had time to reflect on who and what are really important this year. 2020 has crystalized that for many of us. Here are a few of the things we’ve (hopefully) learned.

We value our family, friends and neighbors above all else. 2020 taught us that our homes, our livelihoods and our health can be taken from us in an instant ― but we have people who will never leave our side. They are all that matters.

We’ve learned that every worker is  truly “essential.” While we take our hats off and salute the medical workers and first responders who have gone so far above and beyond ― risking their own lives to serve us, there are no “non-essential” jobs.

The service industry has been hit so much harder than most. We never knew how much we valued a haircut and color, or mani/pedi, until we couldn’t get one. Never longed for the chance to linger over a favorite meal at a local restaurant, or the chance to sip a cocktail at a favorite bar, until those were largely off limits.

If you count yourself as one of those who have the luxury of deciding what percentage tip to leave, here’s a tip: 20 percent really is the new minimum.

People are starved for human relationships. Your smile (even that squinty-eyed one from behind your mask) might be the only smile some folks receive all day, their only point of human contact. Your kindness is a gift. Give it freely.

Reaching out to the people you love is more important than ever. So many have lost livelihoods and loved ones this year. A thoughtful action or considerate gesture really can soothe an aching heart.

Check on your elderly or home-bound neighbors regularly. And don’t forget to check on your students and youth ― they are all struggling with the isolation this year has imposed.

Remember, there are so many ways to be a hero. Compassion and generosity are always in fashion. Keep giving, serving and championing your favorite charities and organizations ― you can bring hope to the new year.

We ARE “all in this together.” I know one thing for sure. We should not be separated by race, religion, or region ― nor by politics or even by virus. Let’s hope we’ve learned a lot from 2020.

Here’s hoping 2021 brings us closer together, and heals not only this virus, but our nation, our communities and our neighborhoods. Let’s hope those hard learned lessons of 2020 won’t too quickly be forgotten.

Here’s wishing you and yours a remarkable New Year. Welcome 2021! Not a moment too soon.