2020 was a year of losses -- people we love who died from COVID-19, staying at home instead of traveling to see family, big events we missed. Still, there were a few good things I gleaned from a difficult year.
- I retired from work. Now I can use my time the way I want. No more checking email every 30 minutes for article assignments or anxiety over deadlines. It's going to take a while to stop feeling anxious or rushed, but I'm working on it.
- Discovered New York Times Cooking. Best $40 I ever spent for a year's subscription to a virtually limitless cookbook. The comments and suggestions from other cooks are almost worth the price by themselves. Lots of vegetarian recipes keep our meatless menus fresh.
- Gained a new appreciation for dining in restaurants. They even do the dishes for me!
- Discovered the brilliant acting talent of Chadwick Boseman, unfortunately after his death. Especially his exceptional performances in "42" and "Marshall."
- Finished dental work on my upper teeth -- and they're gorgeous.
- Learned I can live quite happily without Facebook and Twitter.
- Reached my goal of 150 Jazzercise classes for the year. If I stay healthy and uninjured, I'm shooting for 175 classes in 2021.
- Started crocheting again.
- Read some awesome books and explored Black authors. Books for the year included the massive "Middlemarch," as well as the first two books in Faulkner's Snopes Trilogy. After the murder of George Floyd, I read "Between the World and Me" by Ta-Nehisi Coates and "Their Eyes Were Watching God" by Zora Neale Hurston. More Black literature classics on my list for 2021.
- Grew out my hair to its natural color. There isn't as much gray as I expected, but it looks really cool!
- Learned how to give Ken a buzz cut. Now he'll never go back to a barber shop again.
- Learned how to value in-person contact with my friends. Even phone calls and personal texts were so encouraging.
- Spending a few days with Amy and Ruby when they were her for Alyssa's wedding in September.
- The things that helped me most to maintain my sanity through the pandemic restrictions: daily quiet time with Jesus, Skype calls with Amy and the girls, and Jazzercise, especially the outdoor in-person classes.
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