I know 2020 will go down as a terrible, no good year for most of the world. But, for me, it was actually a really, really good year - one of my best years ever. This year I:
Went to Africa and had the adventure of a lifetime,
Bought a new car,
Turned 50,
Researched, purchased, installed and used a generator for the first time all on my own,
Had lots of small, local adventures like hiking to the top of a mountain where wild birds sat all over me, geocaching, camping with friends and relatives,
Got some new pet frogs which are doing fantastic and give me endless entertainment,
And today I bought a camper trailer!
Truth be told, my 2020 wasn’t all that bad. I did lose my job, however, I found a new one for more money. And between my massive severance from my old job and my wife taking the kids to her parents in the country, it was kind of like a 4 month vacation.
Problem is I really fucking hate my new job. Like…so much.
It’s so nice to read that someone had a good year. I know three people who had longed-for babies in 2020, so it’s been a wonderful year for them, too.
It hasn’t been a great year for me, mostly due to COVID isolation. How did you manage camping trips with friends and family? Did each household ride in separate vehicles and then you social distanced when you arrived at the campsite?
Every household had their own camper or trailer or tent but we all sat around the fire at night together. We all decided that we were all part of each other’s bubble.
How delightful! It’s always heartwarming to hear good news from fellow Dopers. Also, I like the specifics of what’s gone well for you - hiking, geocaching, pets, doing things on your own, feeling good about a milestone birthday - these are things that resonate with me. Thank you for sharing. May 2021 be even better for you!
I’m so glad that worked out for all of you and that nobody got sick. I’m at high risk, so all that was out for me, but I also knew I wouldn’t have been able to forgive myself if someone else got sick because of me. 2020 would definitely been a much better year if I could have gotten together with my family and friends without any of us endangering each other.
In some ways it’s been a good year for us as well. But more like a year of extremes. Our heads are in the oven, our feet are in the freezer, but on average we’re OK.
The bad: Lost a few people dear to us, to the virus. This has devastated their families and we’re too isolated to help much. The feeling of pathetic inadequacy from attending a funeral via Facebook is hard to describe.
Also bad: Serious health problems have had me almost couch-ridden the majority of the year. Multiple surgeries have me barely hobbling around on a cane, and won’t be back to normal until after the holidays. Not whining, just the way it is.
The good: If there’s a year to be out of service for medical reasons, 2020 is the one. I grouse about it, but thank my lucky stars it all happened on the year I can’t go anywhere anyway.
More good (sorta): All the problems occurring in a single year meant we blew past our max out-of-pocket costs in the spring, and have gotten two of the surgeries and a host of other procedures “free”.
More good: Parents managed to lock down almost totally and have, thus far, avoided the virus despite checking most of the co-morbidity boxes. Ditto for my sibling. Lonely, but with all the electronic pathways, we can at least “see” and talk to them.
More good: I retired in 2019, so the large swaths of time sick aren’t interfering with work. It doesn’t matter how much “time off” I take, there’s no interruption in income.
More good: Wife is in a business that is booming due to the virus.
More (incredible) good: Due to a series of unfortunate events in 2018, my son reached a breaking point and made the major switch from passenger airlines to cargo only. This included turning down a copilot spot on one of the US legacy carriers. So instead of being furloughed now, he’s already upgraded to Captain on a wide-body, with an income that defies belief. We’re wondering if he’s psychic.
So I’m thankful that we’ve been luckier than many during this time. I try to keep that in context when dealing with the other PITA stuff.
I feel bad having some positive things too. My wife quit her job to get another, (hired in March right as the sh!t hit the fan) and with everything changing there she has been the one working on how to handle it. My sister just last week got hired for a new one and is happy to leave her current one.
I just hit one year on my job. I have LOVED working from home I’m so many ways, and nobody will be surprised if it becomes a standard when everything is over. In addition my boss is leaving January 1st and has been working with me on how to take her place. Work has been going so well for my family the past year but I promise I know how it has been going horribly for other people.
It hasn’t been horrible for me, either. I did have to cancel a trip to California to see my mom, which of course the airlines didn’t refund me for, so that’s $3000 flushed down the toilet.
On the good side, as of last November, my shop started pulling sufficient monthly income to keep the bank account topped up, and in fact that’s persisted to today. My first clearly profitable year! Even though my two big in-person sales events were cancelled due to the pandemic, somehow I made up for the lost revenue in online sales. So my little shop is thriving now, without any financial help from my personal accounts. Yay!
I waited ten years for that kid. I wouldn’t say it’s been a wonderful year, because we have struggled in other ways, but I cannot say 2020 is terrible because it’s the year that gave us our son.
I have been battling cancer, and I had a scary week during the summer when my parents were hospitalized due to COVID. But besides those things, 2020 has been kinda awesome for me. I love working from home and I love having an excuse to be in my little cocoon all the time. I have also never been closer to my mother.
