As 2020 finally comes to a close, it seems the light at the end of the tunnel is beginning to shine. The two most effective vaccines have already been distributed to many health care workers nationwide and are expected to be widespread by the end of spring. But, as we all prepare for the next year to start, I can’t help but wonder what 2021 will actually bring.
Since the first day of 2020, it seemed the year was destined for disaster. There’s no need to recap them, but I’m sure we can all remember the oddities ranging from Murder Hornets to the warmest year on record. As things seem to get worse and worse, everyone just gave up on 2020. It was irredeemable and horrendous from start to finish.
With such an awful year, it’s no wonder people are projecting an idyllic 2021. We’ve already started planning the amazing things we’re going to do when Covid is gone and life is back to normal. Obviously, the tragedy and difficulties of this year were amplified by the pandemic. But, tragedy will continue to strike after Covid is over, and I worry that people are going to give up on 2021 and wait for 2022 to be better, and so on, forever.
After browsing Twitter for longer than I care to admit, I have noticed two types of people: those who believe 2021 will be better tenfold, and those who already think next year is going to be worse. Even news sites have fallen into these categories. CNN already predicts the rise of the scariest bugs.
Throughout the year, we’ve all been trained to expect the worst. Memes soared the internet about how the alien attacks were next because 2020 was just going to be awful. When we all wake up on January 1st, 2021, things aren’t going to automatically change. There will still be a pandemic, there will still be a tragedy. I don’t want to sound too pessimistic though. I’m not saying we shouldn’t even bother to try because sad things always happen. I don’t believe that at all. I want people to be optimistic, yet not revert back when things go wrong.
We have all learned so much in the past year, about how to take care of ourselves when we feel our most alone, how to persevere. I am so hopeful for 2021 that I can live my life and see my friends and family. But I can’t put 2021 on a pedestal just because it’s not 2020.
New Year’s resolutions might seem pointless in the midst of everything, but I hope you have one. Maybe it’s to enjoy the things you have. Or to spend more time with the people you love. One resolution I think everyone should consider is “Keep Moving Forward”. Let the past be the past, but take what you’ve learned and continue onward.
2021 will be an extraordinary year, even if things sometimes go wrong. Not to be cliche, but if we take what we learned this year– about community, hard work, and love–I think 2021 can be great if we take what we learned and move forward.