On more than one occasion in 2020, I had someone ask me if I had a way of seeing the future. While I found their question odd, I can certainly see why they would ask me that question. Too many who have experienced and survived 2020, it would appear as though I had seen the year coming and planned my life accordingly. But, this was not the case. None of us are promised tomorrow. Life is fragile, and living it comes with risks. I may not survive 2021. But, I’m not going to live 2021 avoiding life so that I won’t die. I plan to seize each day, to live each day, to learn, and to grow.

1. DO YOU SEE WHAT I SEE?
On more than one occasion in 2020, I had someone ask me if I had a way of
seeing the future. While I found their question odd, I can certainly see why
they would ask me that question. Too many who have experienced and
survived 2020, it would appear as though I had seen the year coming and
planned my life accordingly. But, this was not the case.

2. 2020 WAS THE WORST
For most of the people I’ve known, 2020 stands out as one of the worst years
ever. We’ve all experienced circumstances that led us to the need to
understand viruses, germs, infections, masks, distancing, vaccines,
immunizations, death, and survival. Too many, it was their first encounter with
an examination of the fragility of life and their mortality.

3. PEOPLE ARE THE WORST
From the immortal episode of Seinfield (https://youtu.be/m0KFY6o6unw), I
will never understand people. They are the worst. People are the worst. Admit
it. We probably all said this at some point in 2020. How can someone so
smart, so gifted, so handsome, so beautiful, know what they know and come to
the wrong conclusion? How can someone be so stupid; how can they not see
it?

4. WE HOLD THESE TRUTHS TO BE SELF-
EVIDENT
But people are different. Life has brought them through other circumstances,
walking down paths that are different than ours. Each has experienced
different lessons, faced various challenges, encountered different teachers,
listened to life in a way unseen by us. Things that seem evident to us aren’t
apparent to them.

5. PEOPLE ARE DIFFERENT
And that makes the planet a beautiful place. Each person has different scars,
different growth patterns, different backgrounds, different experiences, and
have aged differently. And often, have challenges in looking past that to a
place they do not know.

6. I KNOW WHAT I KNOW
Or do I. In 2020, I challenged myself to experiment with ways to communicate
that which I know. Or, that which I think I know. I wanted to be better at
discussing controversial topics while avoiding emotional or vitriolic responses.
So, instead of making statements, I asked questions. Questions invite thoughts,
and statements invite responses. And, I wanted to know how and what people
thought.

7. I DON’T KNOW WHAT I DON’T KNOW
That’s one thing I know. 2020 was a great year for learning, a great year for
exploring the world of ideas. People didn’t hold back. In a faceless society,
where individual thought was discouraged, people provided insights in ways I
could not have imagined. I may not have believed what they said or wrote or
even agreed with their conclusions. But, it opened up new opportunities for
exploration that I had not seen.

8. 2017 WAS MY 2020
The year 2017 was my bad year or my year of daily challenges. Life gave me
lemons that year and I tried to make lemon pies. My body that had supported
me so well for 52 years, had difficulty supporting me climbing a flight of stairs.
I went from a life of walking and riding for hours to a life where walking for 30
seconds had challenges.

9. I CHANGED ME
In 2017, I made many choices in life, and most were targeted at creating
opportunities to grow. When you feel each heartbeat and wonder when or
where or if the next one is coming, you can do nothing. Or, you can make
changes. You have to decide.

10. I HAVE NO IDEA
In 2017, 2018, and 2019, we took steps to appreciate life and experiences while
removing obstacles that were evident but not obvious. We simplified,
eliminated, added, reduced and welcomed change. And in 2020, we
experienced beauty in a way that we could not have foreseen.

11. GOING, GOING, GONE
And, 2020 is gone. I’ll miss it. I learned and experienced so much. I met new
people and learned from the people I knew. I learned that even with my present
circumstances, life can still be beautiful. And lived. And loved.

12. WHAT’S HAPPENING
None of us are promised tomorrow. Life is fragile, and living it comes with
risks. I may not survive 2021. But, I’m not going to live 2021 avoiding life so
that I won’t die. I plan to seize each day, to live each day, to learn, and to grow.

13. JOIN ME
I invite you to join me in making 2021 a year worth living.