What I learned from 2020

I felt guilty, here in town, complaining about not being able to hang out a load of washing, or even open windows, when there were people defending their homes with garden hoses, or spending nights crowded on beaches. It made me start thinking about the bigger picture.

I think this is where the lesson started and here's what I learnt.

When we think back to things we enjoyed about 2020 how many of us will remember things such as game nights with the kids, walks around the neighbourhood, additions to our dinner repertoire, binge watching favourite shows curled up on the lounge with people we love, spending time just talking via Zoom or in person about our worries and our joys. Despite the isolation I've reconnected with people, made new friends, and seen relationships falter because we had more time to think about what actually matters. It's people.

There's been a lot of talk about loneliness being a problem and it is, with one in four of us believing that we're lonely. I've learned being by myself, being alone, is completely different from being lonely. Sure, there have been times where I've ached for someone just to hold me and tell me everything will be alright, or longed for someone to hold my hand as we walked around the neighbourhood, cried because I was once again cooking myself dinner. But that was the case long before COVID put us all in lockdown. I thrived working from home, the flexibility of it all allowing me to shape a better life. People seemed to welcome a solitary person into their home if I did feel like some company. The kids and I have found our new normal as they morph into young adults. I have people who love me. Even if we're not in each other's pockets. Any idea of loneliness goes out the window with a simple text, or call, or quick social visit.

So much of it this year. For the people in my life I know I can call on. For my new house which now feels like home. I'm grateful to live in Australia, where we've handled this pandemic with commonsense and unity, despite all the bickering between the states. When we look back, we, as a country, should be proud. And Canberra, how I love you so. Even more now. We've done this well. It was heart-warming to see how our community came together. We started drinking coffee from the local shops, playing in parks around the corner, helping our neighbours with chores. With the fires long gone, I was grateful Canberra is a huge open space and we could breath her fresh air. I've learned to be grateful for fresh air.

The pandemic made us all rethink our health. As I watched people get sick and die, something clicked and I realised I didn't want a bar of that, COVID or not. It was time to get into shape and get out of bad habits. Without getting all new year resolutionsy, there's a dress I will fit into before the end of 2021. One day at a time.

Everyone was saying we had more time during lockdown but I'm yet to meet the person who did. Between homeschooling and the blurry boundaries that occurred when the dining table became your home office, 2020 flew by in a hurry. Even though there was less for us to do, a lot of us seemed to do more. None of that in this next year for me. I'll find time to do more of what matters, spend time with those I love, read more good books, watch more bad television, spend more time outside with the sun on my back.

2020 will go down as a year of change, let's hope we all made some and that the new normal is the normal we all deserve. We have to believe this year was sent to teach us something.