As much as I would love to believe that 2021 turns the page on everything we have experienced with the past year, I keep hearing that it’s all going to get worse before it gets better, so I’m trying to keep expectations in check. I am an ever hopeful optimist, though, so I continue to pray for humanity and plan to make the most I can out of this year.
As much as I’ve laughed at jokes and memes saying adios to 2020, and there were some funny ones, I am not quite in the “good riddance” camp. It was a hard year in so many ways, and a humbling year, a year of learning some big lessons, and ultimately one in which I found a lot of value. I started the year with the word “alignment” in my mind, not really knowing what I meant by it, but I envisioned prioritizing better, getting more organized, making space for what I really wanted to do with my time, and moving more toward my idea of a life with peace and simplicity at its core – and by that I don’t mean quiet and easy, I mean having a peaceful heart and a strong backbone so that whatever comes my way I’m fine. I can deal with it.
Little did I know that my vision of what that would look like was nothing like what transpired, obviously. It wasn’t until I was forced to REALLY slow down that I understood the idea of spaciousness, the time I wanted around doing things well, not trying to jam everything I could into a day. I made it a point to go for a walk by the lake or at a nearby forest preserve every day (well, almost every day). I started to notice a lot more in nature. A few friendships changed. I stopped watching TV news. I had a healthy garden with an unbelievable bounty of lettuce and tomatoes. I cooked way more than I have in years and remembered how much I love it. Creative, simple, peaceful.
I slowed down my painting process by miles! For some of the year I was really in a creative no man’s land. Most artists I know found themselves in this place for at least a chunk of 2020, but one of the ways I dealt with that was to redo my studio floors. When I put my studio back together I vowed no clutter, with very little touching the floor. As any fellow collage/mixed media artist can attest, avoiding piles of papers is majorly challenging. It turns out, though, that having much more space physically opened up much more space mentally. I was teaching my weekly class so I had reason to keep the creative flow going, generating new ideas. Thank goodness for that. When I got to painting again my class helped me build and sustain momentum.
Alignment. It happened slowly and awkwardly, but it happened!
2020 was certainly not what I wanted, and I recognize I got out of it very lucky to not have lost anyone close to me due to the virus, unlike so many people who experienced loss or illness. I spent time afraid, angry and upset about all the things we witnessed as a country this year. I recognized I had a lot to learn about perspectives and keeping an open heart. I still do.
I hope you had a not terrible 2020, too, and that you are also an optimist about what lies ahead this year, whatever your big words of the year may be. (I don’t know what mine is for 2021 or if I want one. This seems like a good year to focus more on going with the flow …)
OH! Not a lot to do with alignment as much as the pain and joy of life in general, but in 2020 we had to say goodbye to both of our sweet old kitties within six months of each other, which was heartbreaking as it always is. We also welcomed a kitten, Mango, who has brought big joy to the past 8 months. She is a darling.
