looks like we made it: this was a good year
Oooooh, chile. Are you as thrilled to see the back of 2020 as I am?
The last two weeks in our house have been … quiet. I managed to get a few days off, after turning in final edits for my book. Today, I’m spending the day next to the Christmas tree while it storms outside. I’ve begun reading my friend Jenny’s brand new book. (I got an advanced copy, it doesn’t actually come out until April. But do yourself a favour and pre-order now — it’s stinking hilarious.). I could not be happier.
Marcus is putting together a kit that he bought me for Christmas. It’s this really intricate book store scene — so intricate that I thanked him and immediately said, “yeah, my thumbs can’t handle this. But this looks like something fun you could do!” Once it’s done, I’ll display it in my office (and photograph it to share with you).
He’s a good man.
And Alex, of course, is listening to music, Facetiming friends, TikToking, and doing all those things that 16-almost-17-year-olds do.
For us, like for so many others, this year has been challenging. Our home has been in near lockdown since March because of the pandemic, and virtual schooling has tested Alex in unexpected ways. The news media kept sharing the creatively cruel ways in which the government treated people of colour, the impoverished, the disenfranchised. People very close to us fell ill, with coronavirus and other dangerous diseases. In many ways, this has been a horrible, horrible year.
But there is evidence of some really good moments, as well: Alex got her driver’s license, and even though she hasn’t been able to get the kind of use out of it that she would like, she’s had a few glimpses of newfound freedom with things like masked visits through the Starbucks drive-thru lane, and occasional drug store runs. I wrote a book — one I’m really proud of, and I can’t wait to share with you — and as part of the writing, I made amazing new friends, like Valarie, and Brad, and Zuri, and Jordan, among others. There were new jobs. New workout routines. New hobbies, like cooking and jigsaw puzzling. A cruel presidential administration has been voted out. And just this past week, my octogenarian parents got a call from their doctor: it was time for them to come in for their first of a series of two coronavirus vaccinations. So, while 2021 may not be perfect, there are signs that there will be good moments to come, as well.
And so, Happy New Year, friends. May you spend some time today thinking about the gifts of 2020, whether they appeared as moments of joy, or moments of courage and learning. And may you also spend some time dreaming of what you’d like to make in 2021.
May the new year bring you all good things, and more
Soundtrack: Thank u, next by Ariana Grande