20 Lessons Learned in 2020
Hi dear creator,
How does one look back on a year that held so much uncertainty and newness all at the same time? This year was full of new and different things. It is pertinent to note that new doesn’t always mean good, although we tend to think it does.
New: new (adj.)
Middle English neue, from Old English neowe, niowe, earlier niwe "made or established for the first time, fresh, recently made or grown; novel, unheard-of, different from the old; untried, inexperienced, unused," from Proto-Germanic.
The experiences of this year have been unheard of, filled with lots of first times and readjustments contrary to the way things have always been. 2020 began with many firsts for me and many of them good firsts. In February I was blessed to get my first car, a beautiful beaming convertible Volkswagen Beetle, this is a car that is the answer to many many prayers. At the height of the year, I was employed with two j0bs, which were equal blessings that helped my sister and myself tremendously as we had just moved out of our parents’ home a few months before.
On top of these moments which were indeed answers to prayers and conversations between God and my family, March rolled around. My roommates and I began working from home almost immediately. At the moment everything going on in America still loomed with great optimism. Many of us were not phased by this “disease” that didn’t really “affect” anyone. However, as time went on, what was normal began to fade away, not slowly but with drastic speed.
Not only did COVID-19 cases rise in the country, but something else began to shift and stir the safety of others. Police brutality started to get more media attention. Videos of racists patrons attending restaurants, school meetings, or local grocers began to surface of pure prejudicial and racist outrage. This is something I’ve been aware of as a child who grew up in Mississippi. It was something I’d seen more times than I’d like to count. Now I was seeing it on screen and on “Breaking News” taglines every other week. This year we as a country were forced to face the ugly truth of racism that so many have been able to ignore with ease for some time now.
This year has been taxing collectively and personally, there is no doubt there whatsoever. However, in the midst of tragedy, protest, learning, unlearning, and new beginnings; I began to reflect on all this year has held and what I want this new year of 2021 to hold.
20 Things I Learned in 2020
Small moments have a great capacity for unseen joy.
Love is multi-faceted, I can often deny myself of this because of fear or regret. It is a choice to allow others to love me and I shouldn’t deny others of offering the gift of their friendship or their presence.
Grace for mistakes is a must.
Old habits are hard to break, but they are breakable.
Creative endeavors will always require effort behind them tethered to discipline.
Living in the past really does rob you of the present. Like seriously!
K-pop concerts are all they’re hyped up to be. I saw Seventeen last year and had plans to see BTS in May 2020, but that day will come again some other time.
As I get older I become more aware of how time is precious and how I spend it does matter in the grand scheme of things.
Know Truth because lies are easily attainable. 2020 was a year full of SO much information, but forming a healthy opinion on something and doing research will save you a lot of unnecessary heartaches.
Life is always the most livable in the now. Don’t seek the past or desire too strongly the future, or you miss on what is beautiful in the present.
Community is a gift. Don’t romanticize doing life on your own. Humans are relational beings.
Being a better person requires letting go of who I used to be and giving myself grace in the process.
Healing isn’t always rainbows and butterflies. It’s a process and realization of beautiful results over time.
Enjoy the little things. I am learning that small moments can be full of infinite joy. Small moments like going to my favorite coffee shop or watching movies with friends.
Fear isn’t as strong as I think and courage doesn’t mean I won’t be afraid, but that I can still be and do in the midst of it.
God is at all afraid of my questions or my shame. In fact, he is so gracious that he makes healing possible. This year, I discovered how healing is possible.
Integrity matters even when you seem to be surrounded by people lacking the bare minimum of integrity. Character matters and so does standing up for yourself.
Music is good, a life-giving kind of good.
Early mornings lying in bed watching the rising sun turn the sky from pink to blue maybe my favorite part of the morning.
This year, creativity has made more sense and has escaped me simultaneously. I have learned that creating alongside God and others—in community is so very beautiful.
These 20 things are just some of what I’ve learned throughout this year. There is so much more, but 20 is a good stopping point. I’ve learned that when you have hard moments in life, unexplainable sorrow, it is better to reflect on it, feel it and then just take a step back. This doesn’t mean you will always have an answer as to why it happened or how you could have stopped the bad things from happening. It does mean that you can remove the weight of it from your shoulders and breathe a bit easier.
So, take heart, Beloved. Know that grace for all of these moments experienced does exist for you.
John 16:33
Sincerely, a writer making lists of all the things that truly matter.
-Antavia Mason
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