I rang in 2020 from Jackson, Wyoming, and was excited to be stepping into the new year with new goals, ambitions, and expectations. Little did I know that my world, and everyone else’s, would soon be turned upside down. After getting back home to North Carolina, life was normal for a while. I started a new semester of school, celebrated my 17th birthday, and attended my junior prom. The day after prom was when everything took a turn. While 2020 brought some unforeseen challenges, to say the least, it was also a year of learning and growing. There were five main lessons that this year has provided me: Love, Gratefulness, Self-Worth, Community, and Faith.
Lesson 1: Love
When North Carolina was put under a stay-at-home order, I didn’t think much of it at first. I am a relatively independent person who doesn’t have an issue doing things alone. However, not long after, I realized the long-term implications of staying home. The only people I would be seeing were my mom, dad, and two younger brothers. I wouldn’t get a chance to visit other friends or family. It became difficult living the same day over and over but the further we moved into the quarantine, the closer my family became. During a typical school day, I would find myself out of the house from 6:30 in the morning to 5:30 at night, sometimes later. Being surrounded by family turned out to be one of the best mental medicines. My mom and I grew our relationship and are closer than ever. My dad and I frequently go on walks, runs, and bike rides and share many new inside jokes. With my free time, I watched the Star Wars saga and now have heated debates about the episodes with my brothers at dinner. Living through a pandemic has taught me to slow down and love the people around me. I am lucky to have people in my life who love me and to reciprocate that love makes life so much more enjoyable.
Lesson 2: Gratefulness
I think it’s easy to admit that prior to COVID-19, there was a lot we took for granted. Getting coffee, going to school, visiting family, watching a movie in a movie theater, and seeing smiling faces that now hide behind masks. Most of these everyday occurrences seem foreign now. The truth is, we were all given a major reality check that put life into perspective. I am lucky to have two sets of grandparents that have I have been close to since I was little. My grandpa would drive an hour and a half into town every Friday to spend the weekend with us when I was in elementary school. We are all very close so when I had the realization that it would be a while before I could visit them I felt a pit in my stomach. It ached me to only be able to call or facetime them when I had exciting news to share. I have learned over the course of the last 12 months that we shouldn’t take anything for granted. A question that I recently heard that has brought a lot to my mind lately is “How would you feel if you woke up tomorrow and had only what you thanked God for the day prior?” This question has made me rethink the way I feel about so much.
Lesson 3: Self-Worth
The first few months of the pandemic did not feel like an extended spring break as I thought it would. Instead I became lost in my thoughts far to frequently. I began doubting myself. Everything from my academic ability to what I looked like to who I was as a person. This set in major anxiety to the point where most days I was physically and mentally exhausted. I decided that I was tired of living in a way where I didn’t like myself, after all, Ephesians 2:10 says “For you are God’s masterpiece.” This made me want to work towards loving myself. I embraced my flaws and found new passions. Yoga and journaling have been two ways that I have been able to ground myself and work towards finding out who I really am and what I have to share with the world. I encourage you to find a hobby that you genuinely enjoy and that helps you to grow.
Lesson 4: Community
Without community, the world would be in a worse place now than we could have ever imagined. Having local and global communities work together for greater causes has been inspiring. Churches and organizations have come together to make sure that school kids are fed, healthcare workers put everything aside for their patients, and groups have made masks to hand out to those who can’t afford them. Everyone was effected by the implications of COVID and so many people made sacrifices for people around them that they may not even know. This goes back to the lesson of love, but so many made selfless acts that may not have been the easiest to make, but they did so out of love and compassion for others. Those who have invested themselves into keeping others safe are the true heroes of 2020.
Lesson 5: Faith
Lastly, the most important lesson that I was taught this year was faith. This year contained more heartaches, disappointments, tears, and fear that I have experienced out of the 17 years of my life. There were days that I didn’t know how I was going to make it through without having a mental breakdown. I had the stress of applying to college, many of which I hadn’t had the chance to tour, taking a semester completely online, and worrying about what the next day might bring. All of these hard days that felt scary and impossible ended up being the ones that taught me how important faith is. I found peace in the fact that God has everything in his hands. He knows what the outcome of every hardship will be, and he lets it happen for a reason. My God is a God who is loving and patient. I found faith in the knowledge that I wasn’t going to encounter anything that I wasn’t strong enough to handle. In the past few weeks, I have found this to be the truth. I was accepted into my number 1 college, did well in my classes, and have found peace in my faith.
There is no way to know what challenges and opportunities that 2021 will bring, but bringing the five lessons that I have learned, I know that everything is bound to turn out the way that God intended. I know that there are more lessons to be learned and battles to be fought, but let’s be honest, if you made it through this year than you are strong enough to get through anything.