(Warning: this post talks about Covid 19/Coronavirus, and the political situation in the US)
Dear 2021,
You've had a rocky start, but that's OK.
You inherited a global pandemic and a facist US president - and it's gonna take a while for you to fix that, we know.
I blame 2016, that year was a bad influence on everyone. The years after struggled to bring hope.
Then when 2020 came along... well, I guess you know about that already.
The world you sprang into is a scary one - it's always been scary, but maybe not on such a universal level as it is now.
It's OK. We know it's scary. We're cheering you on.
It may seem like we're not, but that's because we're tired. We're oh-so tired.
We're the survivors of 2020, after all. Our hopes have been dashed more than once. We're very, very, tired.
But you don't even have to do that much to win our approval - you don't have to win prizes or beat the other years at sports.
You just have to not be 2020.
And that's an exceptionally low bar.
The first week or so hasn't filled me with confidence, 2021, I have to admit.
All of the UK is in Lockdown.
The Covid numbers in my area are scary.
The affect on people I know and love is scary.
The fact that a lot of people still don't seem to care about a global pandemic enough to abide by the rules is the scariest of all.
And the headlines coming from the US in particular aren't suggesting that the batsh** bizarre level will be lower than in 2020 any time soon.
2021 bingo cards are already filling up, and it's January.
Please, forgive us if that doesn't let us trust you too much.
Still, you can do this 2021. You can be marginally less terrible than 2020 - I know you can!
Maybe you can't do it alone - but we're willing to help (most of us, anyways.) Just give us the opportunity to fix our messes, and we will do our goddamn best.
We're a surprisingly resilient and optimistic species, on the whole. We managed to find hope in 2020 - that should show you that you can work with us on this.
Give us a chance, and we'll give you a chance.
Where there's life there's hope, and where there's hope there's life.
Yours oh-so sincerely,
Cee Arr
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What a lovely, hopeful post, Cee! I am a firm believer that you can find joy in any year, no matter how terrible it seems to be on the surface. I had a lot of laughs and fun with my family in 2020 when we were at home together. I know it's easier said than done, but I do think it is important to recognize that a lot happens in a year, some good, and some bad. We can't write off an entire year as being terrible. And like you said, where there's life, there's hope.
ReplyDeleteThanks Em! And yes, totally agree - it can be super-hard to find the good, but I've gotten used to holding on to it with my fingertips and refusing to let go over the years!
DeleteI always think - and this is gonna sound odd, I know - that my Grampa would've *loved* the pandemic; not because of the deaths, obv., he would've hated that, but because of all the stats and rule changes and the science. He would've loved Lockdown and loved complaining about Lockdown - he was the kind of person who could find enjoyment in the smallest of things, (and loved a good moan about things!) and just thinking about how he would've reacted is making me smile right now! :)
I agree with you that some of the laid-back attitudes towards the pandemic are frightening.
ReplyDeleteBut I'm hopeful about the vaccine. At least there is a light at the end of the tunnel.
I just... people are dying and some people just don't care. At all. I don't understand - and I don't think I *want* to understand.
DeleteHope is always good <3