✏️ Newsletter 12/29/2020: “See Ya 2020!”

2020 is coming to a close. What a year it has been. A pandemic and wildfires, not to mention the political drama in our country and around the world. Unemployment numbers through the roof, food insecurity, and small businesses struggling to stay afloat. A year that has challenged our very way of being.

Image courtesy of Pexels.

Where do we go from here? We enter 2021 with much hopefulness. The promise of a vaccine against COVID-19, and a changing Federal administration. There is a desire to return to normalcy, and while some things will be forever changed, human resilience is on full display.

COVID cases are at an all time high, ICU’s are near or at capacity, and front line workers pushed to the limit, we must stay the course. Face coverings in public, social distancing, and much hand washing. And kindness. We must strive to be kind to one another, even if we don’t always feel like it.

I’ve been pondering what I have learned from this year. What can I take forward into a time of hopefulness going into 2021? One thing that I learned is how important kindness is. Not just being nice. It’s good to be nice, but in my mind kindness is deeper and more authentic way of interacting with others and yourself. Many of you have shown great kindness to all of us here at KWMR. Thank you.

This year I have learned  a great deal about racism. I did not truly understand, and still fully don’t, the impacts that structural racism has on the lives of so many. I’m working on being kind to myself as I blunder along and learn how to build anti-racism into my life every day. I am actively working with the the Together Equity Group (TEG) that is continuing to work with the over 45 organizations that signed on to the Joint Equity Statement earlier in the year. And I’m doing a lot of reading on the topic.

In this vein, it is about kindness and fairness, and a complete restructuring of all of our systems that were built to oppress. We have a lot of work to do. It’s a good time to start, and not to give up.

I have learned some practical skills as well. My audio editing skills have improved immensely (while my typos persist). I would have to say that my planning and shopping for food has improved since I’ve reduced my trips to the store. And I certainly don’t touch my face as much as I used to.

So back to kindness for a moment. It’s ok to get annoyed with people. It’s ok to be frustrated by the actions of others that seem counter to keeping themselves and others healthy. It’s ok to make assumptions, and to feel exasperated by things. These are human responses. But when you put the pedal to the metal, or the rubber meets the road, it’s good to be able to pivot – that fun word from from 2020 – back to kindness.

As we ready ourselves to bid adieu to 2020, Loretta Farley shared a good one with me – once we get to Friday our hindsight will be 2020! There is a Saturday Night Live Skit about the folks all getting off the plane where David Spade and Ellen Cleghorne play the flight attendants to a host of cast members. Enjoy, and buh bye 2020!

Total Bastard Airlines – SNL 1,904,666 views