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2020 – It’s Been Quite a Year

Sara Dumond Dec 31, 2020

Hi! It’s Dr. D. I thought this quote by Shelley Giglio was so beautiful and perfect for the last day of what has been hands-down, the most challenging year of so many people’s lives. And because there was zero chance I wasn’t going to jot down some thoughts, here are my take-aways from 2020.

  1. If we are doing it right, life is hard. It’s good and easy and happy and joyful at times too. But if we are truly living, really engaging, there are always going to be difficult/stressful/hard days. Which is ok! The hard days a make us into who we were born to be. No one finds their life purpose or discovers their gifts during times of ease. Pressure, difficulty, and yes sadness, are what ultimately unlock life’s joy.
  2. When we are at our best, humans have the capacity to heal, love, support, and carry one another. In fact, never has this truth been more on display, than this past year.
  3. When we are at our worst, ruled by hate, fear, tribalism, greed, and selfishness, humans have the capacity to inflict pain and suffering on each other, in a way that is far more damaging than any pandemic on its own.
  4. The anecdotes to sadness, are gratitude and service to others. Better than any pill, fancy vacation, or new pair of shoes. Until you figure that out, you’ll always be chasing after an ever-moving goal post.
  5. Belly laughing at least once a day, really can lighten any load. If you can’t remember when the last time was that you had a good belly laugh, make it your mission to start hunting for laughter each day.
  6. Boundaries are healthy. When people are stressed they will often ask or demand more of you than you can healthily provide. We’ve witnessed a lot of that this year. Saying no doesn’t make you uncaring, it makes you healthy.
  7. Along those same lines, not everything needs to be fixed immediately. Our expectations for what we “deserve” in terms of timeliness and accessibility, have become grossly outsized in this country. You have to wait longer lately for something that you never had to wait for before? Good! It will teach you patience and compassion.
  8. You absolutely are the sum of the people you surround yourself with. Dang, I hit the jackpot in this area.
  9. Science is amazing. And there are thousands of people on this planet doing the right things, the hard things, and you’ll never know their names. Takes my breath away just thinking about that level of service and selflessness.
  10. Faith in something bigger than ourselves is requisite, and also, it in no way replaces #9. The two go hand in hand. People who know me well, know I’ve become fascinated with something called the Stockdale paradox. Google it. Faith beats optimism every day of the week. 

So I guess that’s it for now. I’m tired. You’re tired. But we will all rest up and we will see you on the other side in 2021. As always, it has been a privilege to care for your families. Underneath our masks, your children have made us smile. And for that, we say…

THANK YOU.

Peace,

Dr. D.