If the image above doesn’t sum up 2020 in a nutshell more or less, I don’t know how else to encapsulate this odd year. It’s been a year of twists and turns with so many different emotions.

I remember as if it was just yesterday when there was so much enthusiasm and hope for the year that would be 2020 come January 1. Everyone had so many aspirations and the year looked primed to be pivotal for so many of us. And it turned out to be an eventful one for sure.

The year 2020 will ultimately go down as the year that was marked by the Coronavirus pandemic that inflicted the world a great deal of suffering. I remember the exact few weeks when the pandemic first started to gain greater spotlight with lockdowns starting in California back towards the end of March here in the USA. What ultimately unfolded was something that most of us couldn’t even fathom with how the world turned upside down.

For a lot of us who are so fortunate given our circumstances, this meant that we would no longer have to commute into an office and could work out of the comfort of our homes, though that even lost its allure as time went on. For many others, people had to put their livelihoods at risk every day by potentially exposing themselves to the air-born virus.

Throughout this year colored by the pandemic, we also lost all too many legends from the arts, social justice, sports, etc. world, thus furthering the pain of 2020. It was devastating to see legendary inspirations such as Kobe Bryant, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and Chadwick Boseman all, unfortunately, pass away this year.

Although I’ve painted a grim picture for 2020, and I feel as if most would agree with the sentiment, this year has provided the genesis for a true shakeup to our global society that I’m cautiously optimistic to see develop in the coming years.

All these different issues on social, racial, economic, health, etc. matters have come to the forefront of the human narrative with a huge smack to all of our faces. It’ll be interesting to see how we as a humanity can come together and address long-standing issues present in society.

Speaking on assessing issues, I’ve found that this unusual time has provided the gift to so many people around the world to also truly think about their value system and the type of life we want. Even though this is a community centered around introspection, I’ve personally found that this year has even pushed the large and frequent tendency for introspection into overdrive! I don’t think there has ever been a time in the past 50+ years where we’ve been encapsulated in an environment that forces us to face our thoughts for such an extended period of time on such a large scale.

We’ve thought longer and harder this year on a personal level when it comes to our relationships with time, money, friends and family, career, mental health, etc. It’s crazy to think that all these issues that were pent up inside from a socially systemic and personal basis finally have come to the brim in just such a short span of time. I guess they’re right when they say hindsight is 20/20, or in this case.. 2020. But maybe, just maybe, that’s the beauty of it all.

Looking forward, I believe we’ve all grown a greater sense for being both more intentional and well-rounded. We will think twice before spending time elsewhere when we realize how much more precious the concept of time has become as a result of this year. We’ll also hopefully all start to look a bit more at the bigger picture in order to help the global society cultivate and provide for a more balanced lifestyle that is rooted in respect.

It’ll take a mammoth of a coordinated effort on all of our parts to systemically ingrain this type of mindset into the social fabric we live and breathe every day, but I’m hopeful that the thought of future generations will provide the motivation to do so.

To top that off, I’m looking forward to seeing all the exciting new discoveries that I know are cooking up in so many folk’s households right this second. If we thought merely being able to communicate with one another at the tap of a fingertip from across the world was earth-shattering at the turn of the century, I think we might be in for a sweet treat in the next year or so with new inventions.

Similarly, I’m looking forward to a lot of great new content from people of all different backgrounds given the growing desire to share more and varied stories. We’ve all had such a large amount of time to introspect at levels never available before, so I can’t wait for all the amazing stories and inventions that will come out from this much need time of reflection!

2020 has indeed been one heck of a year that I don’t think any one of us could have envisioned happening during our lifetimes. This has been a year of twists and turns that completely threw a wrench into most of our plans for a pivotal moment in our life journeys. Some may choose to see this as the year of loss and despair, but I’m choosing to see this as a year of greater awareness and innovation across the entire board.

Coming to grips with our sense of self, underlying health issues, systemic socioeconomic issues, etc. is a beautiful thing to see the world open its eyes to. The way the global society thinks won’t ever be the same following the rollercoaster of a year. I can’t foresee what 2021 will bring, but I’m hopeful that it will bring greater growth on a personal level for each of us and greater intentionality in everything we do. Catch you all at the turn of the new year!