Well, the last day of 2020 has finally arrived. I’m trying to keep this blog PC so I’ll stick to tamer words to describe what a hot mess this year has been: a certified, big ‘ole, hot, blazin’ MESS.
It’s been full of grief, sadness, anger, frustration, helplessness and so many other negative emotions. I don’t need to go into detail about it, since all we need to do is turn on the news to see all the craziness happening in the world today.
That said, there were some positives in 2020 that I want to recognize. I also want to recognize that I’ve been so fortunate this year to have not lost a loved one, but I know those who have. I’m extremely grateful for my health and the health of my family, and that is not something I take for granted at all.
In a non-hot mess year, I typically do a review of my travels and share my favorite travel photos of that year. Obviously, this year looked very different but I decided I wanted to do a year in review with a focus on the positives I experienced each month. Focusing on the positives and what I’m grateful for has been my saving grace, so I’m going to go ahead and end 2020 with the same mindset.
January
Positives: I started the year doing yoga with almost 2,000 other people (back when no one knew what social distancing meant). I began a new job, kicked off the year attending Oprah’s 2020 vision workshop in Fort Lauderdale (with Lady Gaga!) and managed to squeeze in a new country for me during a really fun work trip to Budapest, Hungary. I also got to spend a few hours in one of my favorite cities in the world, London.
February
Positives: I attended the South Beach Wine and Food Festival with my family, which was a nice way for us all to get together to celebrate my dad’s birthday (and enjoy some really fantastic food). This was followed by some relaxing down time in Miami Beach before leaving the warmth of Florida to return to New York.
March
Positives: Despite the stress of calling airlines and hotels to try and cancel and/or postpone my trip (to no avail), I ended up doing a shortened version of my birthday trip to the French Alps before the world went into complete lockdown. Celebrations included skiing, eating my body weight in cheese, exploring the French village of Megève and quiet moments by the fire.
April
Positives: Even though I could hear sirens constantly during what was one of the worst times for COVID-19 in New York, I found a routine that helped me stay sane. I took many, many socially distanced walks around New York, enjoyed the blooming flowers of Spring, worked out a lot, connected with friends all over the world, cooked and baked, and listened to sooo much music.
May
Positives: I continued my walkathons around New York, had numerous picnics outside to enjoy the warming weather, kept up my regular workouts, continued to listen to music constantly and got through another month quarantining by myself.
June
Positives: I reunited with my family after spending two weeks quarantining by the beach in Florida. During my time by the beach, I woke up early enough to catch the sunrise almost every day and spent much time looking out at the water, which was very calming and therapeutic for this Pisces.
July
Positives: I had some great, socially distanced beach days and outings in Florida and gained a great appreciation for my parents’ backyard, where I could relax with music and a glass of wine and not worry about anyone coming too close or not wearing a mask.
August
Positives: I continued to spend a lot of quality time with my family before flying back to what felt like a completely new New York City. Cases were extremely low, restaurants had a ton of outdoor dining on the streets, and I was able to do some socially distanced activities that I love like outdoor yoga and cycling around my neighborhood.
September
Positives: I finally reunited with some friends in person for the first time in many, many months! I also took a proper vacation to Rhode Island, where I spent a week exploring a new place for me. I loved getting to enjoy the gorgeous weather during what is my favorite month to travel. Oh, and I packed up my life and moved out of my apartment!
October
Positives: I continued to take advantage of the great weather and low number of cases and saw a few other friends in outdoor and safe settings. I also played tourist in NYC with a trip to the Edge, the highest outdoor sky deck in the Western Hemisphere. I ended the month with renting the coziest Airbnb for a few weeks in a neighborhood that had me at “hello.”
November
Positives: BIDEN WON! I got to witness history in the making with Joe Biden and Kamala Harris’s win of the 2020 election. I spent an emotional, celebratory, and incredibly beautiful weekend outside of the city, enjoying the stunning fall foliage and uncharacteristically warm weather. I also flew home in time to quarantine and spend the holidays with my family, where we had our first family holiday zoom for Thanksgiving.
December
Positives: I had a low-key yet really nice Christmas with my family (and did another holiday zoom with extended family), and I enjoyed what’s been a gorgeous time of year in Florida right now with some much-deserved rest.
Also, I survived 2020.
And there you have it. It’s been… something, 2020.
