A Farewell Letter To 2020- Looking To The Future And Reflecting On The Past

I cannot seem to know where and how to begin. As I write this letter to you, my heart races and my mind rapidly searches through all the havoc you have caused us this year. The palms of my hands start to get sweaty as I remember the struggles that all of us had to endure up to this very moment. But I will gather my thoughts and myself to tell you that we are so ready to say goodbye.

Dear 2020,

Goodbye.

You have been a long year. A very long year. Personally I have felt your revolting and repulsive effect in my life- my job as a frontline healthcare worker, my health and well-being, as well as in the way the holidays are way much different! While I cannot say I have entirely enjoyed you this year, I can say that I have learned quite a few things somewhere within the eternity of your 12 months.

One of the most important things I have learned i sto cherish the time with family and friends. I often think of times when we could do and enjoy the simple pleasures such as having dinner with friends and family, grabbing a cup of coffee, or having lunch with a friend, or settling in for a movie night.

I have also learned to appreciate the people around me, including myself. 2020, You have brought me face-to-face with my loved ones and brought us challenges for us to overcome together. And most importantly, I have learned how to give utmost importance to my health in general. You have taught me the value of taking care of my body-physically, mentally and most especially emotionally. I have learned that even in the adversities we faced, the resilience that we respond with have the power to shape our lives and change us for the better.

However, above all else, I have learned what it means to be empathetic towards others. 2020, I am sorry. but you have been horrible to all of us. You have brought havoc and chaos to millions of peoples lives and even costing them their lives when they succumbed to the COVID-19 illness. You have tested our resilience and our patience when you continuously, without mercy, threw challenge upon challenge our way. We lost our jobs, lost our homes and business and livelihood. You have disrupted our way of living and threatened our very own existence in this world. We've lost loved ones, neighbors, friends, family and other people close to us. You have robbed us of so many of the precious things we used to do and love. But we continued to fight and stand up for ourselves, and humanity.

Through inspiring movements and heavy loses, I have been given a glimpse into the struggles of the people around me. I have learned to not only acknowledge the struggles of others but feel and fight for them as well. I was in the frontline in the battle against this pandemic. I have seen people die because of it. I have felt the sorrow, the pain and anguish that came with the struggle to fight for your life against the disease that COVID-19 brought with it.

Although there are parts of me that are grateful for what I have learned and what I have discovered, but the largest part of me will not miss you, 2020. I will not miss the lowest days, were I was stuck in my bed all day. I will not miss your decisive politics. I will not miss the darkness of pain and the anguish and sorrow you have caused the people I love and know. You have driven a great distance between friends and families alike. I will not miss all the goodbyes you have forced us to say.

I cannot speak for everyone else, but I can say we have felt the lows and highs of you and everything in between. And we will surely feel the impact 0f you long after you end, but this is one thing for sure- we will learn to live beyond it and we will grow much stronger and braver. With each challenge that we will face, we will look at it as an opportunity to persevere, learn and grown into stronger, more compassionate and more grateful human beings.

Goodbye 2020. It's your time to end.

Karen