10 things to celebrate about 2020

The first rule of 2021 is – don’t talk about 2020. I’m stumbling through the door a little late with this post. It should have been up a week ago, but, hey! I think it is still worth reflecting on the year that was.

Each year, our year-end toast sounds something like, ” may we never have a year as horrible as this one,” or “after the year we’ve had, there is no way it could get worse,” and each New Year brings with it new challenges – more challenging than the year past. As I started writing this, I had put myself into isolation, because you know COVID-19. The second wave hit our country hard. The health care system is overwhelmed. 2020 has been the cherry on top of the cake as far as challenging years are concerned. 

The “new normal” consists of social distancing, wearing masks, sanitizing, and filtering out fake news. My 2020 calendar looks like a messed up muddle of cancel that. Still, I’m going to toast the year that was.

1. Challenges

Kicking off my list of 10 things to celebrate about 2020 – is celebrating the challenges.

I would spin a web of deceit if I did not say that the year has been an emotional roller coaster. However, there’s a voice in the back of my mind telling me, I’ve survived worse. Challenges build character in us. Make us more resilient. 

2. Together

The year may have been one global struggle, but it is a struggle we each have had to face. It reminded us that as a human race we are stronger when we face our struggles together.  Weird as it may be, it united many of us, each in the comfort of our own home.

3. 2020 humour

Because we’re all in this together, most of us can relate to a special brand of 2020 humour.

Like this video, cause let’s face it if 2020 were a boyfriend …

4. The Jerusalema

2020 had it’s own dance. The Jerusalema. With all these restrictions, who could not help but to simply start dancing in defiance. Suddenly you have this catchy song which everyone knows the steps to. Across the world, people were dancing in the street, dancing in the hospitals, dancing at the airports, – you name it. Even I was dancing. We were not all getting the steps down perfectly, but were dancing, and encouraging each other by doing so.

This song is fitting for the year. It’s a South African gospel song released in 2019. The lyrics asks God to walk with you and protect you while you are here on earth. It’s about the biblical concept that you are a citizen of heaven, and earth is only your temporary dwelling. 

Here’s the writer of the song talaking about the story behind the song and the lyrics meaning.

5. VPN

That is a Virtual Private Network. 2020 was the year we learned that such things exist, that they are useful, and they can help us work from home. I will admit that working from home has its setbacks, it is awesome that we are able to do so. 

On a personal level :

6 & 7: blog name registration & monetization

I’ve been wanting to register my special domain and monetize it since I started blogging back in 2014. While I’ve only found one Affiliate to link up with and with which I feel comfortable – It’s off to a good start. Monetizing my blog in this part of planet earth isn’t as easy, because we have a restricted banking system.

8. Finishing New-Year’s Resolutions

I’m not one for making resolutions at the beginning of the year. But in 2020 I took on the challenge of reading through the entire Bible in one year. I can say that for the most part, I succeeded. ( I finished the final chapters on Jan 2, 2021 – so it still counts)

9. Community and friends

With all the lockdown and restrictions of the year, one would think that meeting and getting to know new friends would be difficult. I can say that I’ve never made more friends in one year, than in 2020. This is mostly because I joined a small Bible study group, a decision which has been very rewarding during all the struggles of 2020.

If you don’t belong to a Christian centred home-group or cell, make this your resolution in 2021. I can not emphasize how valuable it has been to have a bunch of people to discuss the Bible and pray with.

10. Good Health

2020, has been a year where my household and I enjoyed mostly good health. I had to rush my son to the emergency in March, just before the first lock-down hit us, for a broken arm. He has recovered well. We all had some kind of flu during the year, but it was not Covid and all of us are currently in good health. Considering the current crisis, I think this is well worth something to be thankful for.

Most of us ran into 2021 screaming, something Like JUMANJI!

This is a pop culture reference to the movie Jumanji. It’s about a bunch of people getting sucked into a board game where some horrible stuff happens every time someone rolls the dice. They have to finish the game to eventually escape all its horrific effects, but unlike the movie, midnight December 31, 2020, did not miraculously free us from all this weirdness.

All of the things on my list are things I’m grateful for. See 2020 wasn’t just bad, bad and worse. What were you thankful for in 2020?