2020 Reflection & 2021 Hopes

I’m ready for a New Year. 2020 has been BY FAR the hardest year I’ve ever experience, and I know that I am not alone! COVID hit hard and it literally changed so many of our plans this year. We had BIG plans. We went from seeing family and friends often to rarely seeing them at all. We were recommended and sometimes forced to avoid going anywhere in hopes to stop the spread of COVID. My kids experienced isolation, fear and depression. I saw them shift from their normally outgoing and happy little selves to slightly panicky and more reserved. Our 6 year old came home from school almost daily sharing with us how he had heard from a friend how a friend or family member of theirs had died from COVID or lost their job due to the pandemic. My son had a hard time and just didn’t understand what was going on. How could he? How could I? I had never lived through a pandemic before. Our family went through a career change where everything was shut down two weeks after I started. We had to lay off staff and for the next several weeks, myself and the owner wore several hats and pushed the company through COVID coming through on-top! I went through my 4th reconstruction surgery. We have continued with virtual learning which has been a struggle itself, but then you add the fact of Braxton’s recent ADHD diagnosis, it adds a new dynamic to his learning experience and personal struggles. Our family walked away from two separate and terrifying car accidents within weeks of each other. We struggled through injuries, illnesses and loss of loved ones. We lost our pup, Carter nearly a year to the day after losing Reagan. We survived remote work and quarantining as a family when COVID hit our home. There has been a lot of suck if I’m being 100% transparent and honest.

It’s safe to say the Joneses are ready for a clean slate. I don’t often wish for years to become history, but I’m ready for 2021, and I’m ready to close the door on 2020. I’d be naiive to assume that 2021 won’t come with its share of challenges, but if 2020 has taught me anything, it’s perseverance. And please don’t get me wrong, 2020 wasn’t a total bust. My new career is great. The company had a great year despite COVID. Braxton is doing well in school, and he’s learning new things every single day. He’s such a curious child. Beckett’s speech is off the charts, and he’s come such a long way since his cochlear implant surgery. We added Charley to our family which has been a huge blessing. Our boys are obsessed with her. We have finally started our kitchen remodel, and Jason’s job is keeping him busier than ever. Plus, I have finally published my second children’s book, and I started a podcast. We made some new friends, and we have created some really fantastic memories as a family. We accomplished some great things despite the challenging year. We’re just ready to say goodbye 🙂

Yet, as I sit here and truly reflect, I wanted to dig deeper into 2020 by reflecting on highlights, disappointments, game changers, things I focused on and things I forgot. I think everyone should do this as a type of end-of-year audit if you will.

10 Highlights (accomplishments/best memories)

We brought Charley home.
We finally have started on our Kitchen remodel. It only took 7 years to achieve.
My breast cancer journey officially wrapped up following my 4th reconstructive surgery this past Fall.
I published my 2nd children’s book, How to be Brave.
I started my Podcast.
Beckett, our deaf son, is thriving in speech and with his cochlear implants.
Braxton is tackling virtual schooling the best he can and has made great strides in it since the beginning of the school year.
I got to visit and explore Baltimore for the first time earlier this year!
We spent more time as a family than ever before (kayaking, traveling, biking, hiking, exploring, sledding, etc)
My blog has taken off this year!

10 Disappointments (failures/missed opportunities)

COVID-no explanation needed
I didn’t publish my novel.
I didn’t grow my small business.
We experienced two car accidents.
An unexpected, yet expected, ADHD diagnosis.
We lost our beloved pup, Carter.
We lost several friends and family members.
I went through my 4th surgery.
Beckett’s therapy and Braxton’s schooling has been virtual.
Our family has had a rough year of adapting to all of the changes and “yuck” associating with this year, and we haven’t always handled things gracefully.

3 Game Changers (unexpected events that shifted your priorities)

My new Career
Virtual speech and education
COVID

3 Things You Focused On (What you put the most of your time into)

Checked in more on family and friends and seeing how they were doing.
Focused on my blog, podcast and publishing my children’s book.
Building memories with my family since we were basically quarantined together when not at daycare/school and work.

3 Things You Forgot (What you didn’t get around to)

Building a garden
Reading the Bible from beginning to end
Going on a family vacation

I love the end of one year and the beginning of another, because I truly love to reflect. I love to ask myself questions and really dig into all the things I loved and hated from the previou year. I learn from that and try to build out a better year based off of what I learned.

Some other questions to consider asking yourself when you’re reflecting are:

What are you most proud of accomplishing?
How did you grow and in what areas? Where are there still opportunities to grow?
What are you more thankful for?
What did you learn about yourself? Was it good or bad? How will you change it?
What lessons did you learn?
What were some of your disappointments?
How were you hurt? How were you healed?
What did you overcome?
What are you still trudging through?
What are you most excited for?

Additionally, once I reflect and truly accept all that has transpired within that year, I set goals for the next year. Who else sets goals?

I’ll share a few of mine, which I organize into a few different categories: relationships, work, home, finances, health and personal. I’ll share 1-2 in each category, but for those who know me, ya’ll know I have a few in each.

For relationships, I have that I want to take a 10 year wedding anniversary trip with my husband. We haven’t been on a vacation together without children since 2011. We’re overdue!

For work, I have that I’d like to delegate more and empower my staff more.

For home, I have that my kitchen remodel is finally done that I practice minimalism within my home.

For finances, I have that I’d like to pay off one of my smaller student loans.

For health, I have that I’d like to run 750 miles in 2021 and do a juice cleanse once a quarter.

For personal, I have that I’d like to publish my novel and read 2 books a month.

What are some of your goals?

Do you conduct an end-of-year audit? Do you list out accomplishments? Disappointments? Do you make a list of goals you’d like to achieve in the New Year?

How did 2020 treat you?

My hope for you is that 2021 is full of blessings, full of hope, full of love and full of laughter.

Cheers to 2021!!