Recipe for a Good Year

Please don’t ask me what I remember about high school because my first thought is “not too much.” I do remember my senior English class with Mr. Goodwin. We still sat in desks back in 1988, lined up in rows facing his desk in the front of the chalkboard.  (Little did we know, we were socially distancing. So before our time!)

One afternoon, we filed into class and took our seats, but Mr. Goodwin was nowhere to be found.  At first, we chatted noisily waiting for him to stroll in to the classroom. After a few minutes, when he still didn’t appear, some students pulled out books or notebooks to pass the time. Others fidgeted in their seats, feeling impatient.

Where was our teacher? 

And so, we waited. And waited.

I’m not sure how long we waited. Thankfully, not as long as Vladimir and Estragon. Because when he finally arrived, it turned out that Mr. Goodwin's absence was a planned introduction to Samuel Beckett’s tragicomedy “Waiting for Godot.”

VLADIMIR

Well? What do we do?

ESTRAGON

Don’t let’s do anything. It’s safer.

This year many people have felt stuck in a tragicomedy called “Waiting for 2021.” I’ve heard lots of sentiments bidding good riddance to the dumpster fire of 2020. I'm not a fan of that. As someone who has been searching for the perfect day, I can't imagine setting my sights on the perfect year. 

Of course 2020 had more than it's share of challenges. But before we shoo it out the door completely, can we pause to remember some good things? Friends who had babies, got married, fell in love, bought their first house. So many rescued pets found their forever homes. We found renewed appreciation of friendships, family, and toilet paper. We found convenience in online appointments and working from home in our pajama bottoms. We dined in outdoor tent igloos and streeteries and bought carryout to carry on. We were reminded that with great privilege comes great responsibility. We advocated for those in need and donated to worthy causes. If you need more, go back and rewatch all the episodes of the Some Good News with John Krasinski. There was creativity, innovation, protests for change, and love. Through it all, there was love.

Personally, some 2020 highlights include

  • Seeing my favorite bands live prepandemic (Avett Brothers and Drew Holcomb)
  • Eating lots of cookies (starch madness)
  • Riding my bike for 31 consecutive days (Spoketober challenge)
  • Safely visiting Montana, South Dakota, and Michigan
  • Summer fun completing the Maryland Ice Cream Trail with Paul
  • So many local adventures, hikes, and bike rides
  • Celebrating birthdays and holidays in driveways and by firepits
  • Family dinner nights and fireside chats
  • Publishing a book
  • Celebrating my 50th birthday

We have a New Year’s tradition of eating black eyed peas for good luck and I like to make a big batch of Black Eyed Pea Salsa to share with friends. While it’s a delicious recipe, I don’t really believe that eating a certain food or turning the calendar page to a new year is going to change my luck. I do believe every day has the gift of potential and I’m given a fresh opportunity with each new sunrise. I’m not going to wait around until life is "normal" to try to make the most of them.



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