If there was ever a year that we are happy to put behind us, 2020 is definitely a contender.

But especially in years like this, it’s so worthwhile to look back and see everything that’s happened. We can celebrate our successes, we can learn from our failures, and we can laugh at the many, many hilarious memes. And from there, we can decide how to move forward into 2021.

January

Turns out I did not post a single thing last January. Moving right along…

February

How I Kicked A Bad Social Media Habit

This was a really, really big change for me, and it brought me into the year with a different kind of focus, and showed me that I could make really big changes, which absolutely helped me make different changes later on in the year

March

Coronavirus Break Creativity

Oh, how we started off that first shutdown with such optimism and naivete. Just look at the breeziness of this post’s title. What did we know? It was almost a festive atmosphere, not having any idea what was going on, so I let my kids be creative and we did a lot of fun things until the crushing reality of distance learning and no playdates kicked in.

April

A Breath Of Fresh Air

This was the only post I did in April. Because everything was ridiculous. I was so very overwhelmed. I think that walk at the beach was the first time I really left my house to go anywhere except for groceries (and yes, I know I could’ve instacarted my groceries too, we all make our choices, I’ll write about that sometime maybe, if I feel like it) since the lockdown. And it was lousy, lousy weather. But at least I got out of the house. It was such a weird experience.

May

Forty ‘Til I’m Forty

And then, amid all that malaise and fatigue and overwhelm, I did this fantastic series! It was so good for me! And I hope it was good for all of you, too.

I have all the posts conveniently bundled here if you want to read through them all.

June

The Meaning Of Life

I mean, go big or go home, right?

July

I didn’t write anything this month. I got curious about what I could possibly have been doing (lololollll) and I popped over to my instagram account and lo and behold, I was just busy with life and camp and running/speaking at a Chizuk Retreat event, you know, normal stuff.

August

Avinu Malkeinu

Busy month! I started up my favorite series, Quick Thoughts for Elul, and I also sat down and made that little music video, and after such a long time without really doing music, I thorughly enjoyed that experience.

September

I did not write anything for the blog this month, but I did have this article in Family First, which I’m very happy about.

October

What Is The Point Of Social Media?

I was feeling so blah when I wrote this post, and you all had the absolutely nicest responses, and it inspired me to be a little more consistent about this little corner of the internet that I’ve inhabited for the past decade or so. My readers and friends, I appreciate you so much.

November

To Selfie, Or Not To Selfie

Nothing like people on the internet being super judgmental to light a fire under me.

December

How To Cope With Zoom 2.0

Here we are! It’s the end of the year already! That went by quickly. I’m still proud of how I managed to actually learn from a challenge and apply that knowledge to a similar situation. It reminds me of something Ruchi Koval said in her one-minute parsha video on parshas Vayigash, on how if we find ourselves feeling some deja vu, it means we might be in a do-over situation. Those situations are priceless, because we have the rare chance to do things differently the second time around.

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So that’s it! That’s 2020 on my little blog. I always say that I’m grateful to have two New Year’s in my life, two chances to reflect on my life and what direction I’m heading in. The chance to course correct is always appreciated.

There are some exciting things coming up in 2021, one coming up very soon that you’ll just have to stay tuned for (sorry not sorry).

But the most exciting thing, for me, is that I’ve made some real changes in my interpersonal relationships, in my self-care routine, and with setting boundaries and goals. And those aren’t things I’ve necessarily written much about, since often I’m in the thick of it and a lot of it is private enough that I’m not really sharing it (yes I do actually have a sense of privacy, believe it or not).

It is these private achievements that I find more valuable than running events or getting speaking engagements or even being published in Family First (though I gotta admit, that is pretty far up on my list of things I’m proud of). Success isn’t always visible, but we should always celebrate the areas where we have succeeded, even when only those in our closest circle is aware of them.

Here’s to a 2021 that is filled with growth and health and, for the love of everything, an end to this pandemic!!!!!

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Featured Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash