What was GOOD about 2020?

balzaccom

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2020 was a lousy year. In our family we had to cancel major trips--including a greatly anticipated family reunion trip to Yellowstone with the kids and the partners, and then there was the backpacking trip that got shortened by the Creek Fire.. ...complete with last minute evacuation. No holiday get togethers at all. Add that to the national political chaos and the international pandemic, and 2020 was a disappointment.

But let's look on the bright side. Staying close to home allowed me to tackle a few things I've been wanting to do. And so in 2020 I was able to check these off the list:

Publish my book about Artisan Public Relations.

Make real progress with my watercolors...including a series in the California Delta--see below
perspective


Record a series of lectures for Audible on wine

Record a number of the lectures I give to my classes, for use in the future in various locations--looks like they will be needed.

Finish composing a suite for classical guitar that had been on my mind for some time.

Write another mystery novel that takes places in the Sierra.

Whew!

This is in no sense a competition--many others had far more important things to deal with in their daily life than I did--but if you look back, what can you take from 2020 into the future that you feel good about? A friend told me he had studied an hour of music theory a day...and now loves playing his guitar. My daughter became a certified yoga instructor via on-line classes. How about you?

 
I love this thread idea. Thanks for posting it. I've got an untrained eye, but I think the watercolor is very impressive. Sounds like you made good use of your time in spite of things!

My good news was that we bought our first house and relocated to where we've wanted to be for quite a while. It seemed to be something that was always just slightly out of reach, but we were finally able to make it happen. It didn't feel like a terribly productive year for me overall, but I'm happy about this aspect of it.

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Penny is a little camera shy.
 
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I survived a sneak attack from my appendix in late February. It would’ve killed me if I‘d have been way out hiking. That was very good.
As of the end of June, I have lived longer than my father, who died 33 years ago at 55 when I was 22. That was very good.
 
"I survived a sneak attack from my appendix in late February. It would’ve killed me if I‘d have been way out hiking. That was very good."

Yeah--I had the same thing happen with a wallop of vertigo....happily now well in the past.
 
Not a super bad year for me either, although I'm definitely looking forward to 2021 and hoping that will be a much better year eventually. Since I already live in the beautiful, remote middle of nowhere, it's been mostly easy to stay safe and healthy out here. So that's been good.

The tourism here skyrocketed in the fall, as it did all over southern Utah, which actually was helpful to keep local businesses still able to keep going. And most of the tourists have been good about wearing masks and social distancing. Some of course have not treated the public lands very well, but overall, things here have been fairly good.

One very lucky thing that happened was that my mare badly injured herself in the late spring, and very possibly could have died/been put down. She was extremely lucky to have survived and is doing well, thanks very much to our local vet. That was a huge relief for me and her both!

Otherwise, I've just been able to keep exploring out and about around this area, only with friends, and mostly away from hoards of people. It's been great.
 
Great thread. In spite of it all, it was a surprisingly decent year for me.
  • I had a very close encounter of the Ursus arctos horribilis kind - and literally walked away from it. I was healed up and back on the trail within weeks. Praise God.
  • I walked a loop through the Greater Yellowstone, which wasn't my first choice (PCT and GET plans got blown to smithereens). Despite this, it was the most beautiful 800 miles I've ever hiked.
  • I knocked out a couple of nagging goals - the last remaining section of the Uinta crest (at least, the walkable portion E of Kings) that I hadn't done yet, as well as a few miles along the crest of the Winds that I'd had to bail on a few years ago
  • I savored a surprisingly enjoyable and unique trek of the oft-maligned Florida Trail

Full year-end summary available here (apologies for the self-serving link).

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I was able to hike for 6 full weeks in Yellowstone this summer and then could go again for a winter trip.

I hiked 1670 miles this year which is more than I usually do, even though I was out with a severe knee injury for 14 weeks.

A lot of memorable hikes thought the year and I'm glad I could get out almost every day
That's a beastly number of miles - and with them, experiences. My congratulations!
 
Because of covid and the rise of zoom, I have talked more with my siblings than any year from the last 20 years (when I still lived at home)
Too funny. One of the first things that came to my mind was how covid made for a great excuse to decline travelling for both work and family visits, lol.
 
Had to bail on some much-anticipated backpacking trips and a trip to Africa but my son and I went on a few unforgettable overnighters, I am coaching my daughter in hockey again for the first time in 3 years or so, and my wife and I enjoyed several nights of camping, some nice day hikes, and a fun motorcycle trip around AK. All-in-all, still a productive year.
 
Got laser eye surgery in February. First time in something like 25 years of being able to see without glasses or contacts. I'm still not quite used to it and reach for glasses from time to time.

Also ended up getting my "dream" (if there is such a thing) bike, and rode it around the surrounding area a bunch, as well as spending a little time in the Black Hills with it. Bike is by far the best way to get outside and explore here. Very little public land but endless thousands of miles of backroads. Plus, I get to scare people by wearing full spandex bike clothes in public.
 
Now as for myself it turned out to be a pretty good year. Have ended up working all year which for myself is unusual at the local Dollar Tree Store but which has had it's benefits. It was a Great Great Birding Year! And because of this was able to add a number of bird species to my local county life birding lists. Now all year just stayed here in the hole ... Jackson Hole and did not go anywhere else. But all spring, summer, and fall was able to get out hiking, biking, and birding all over in the local area. It was Great! Life is Great!
 
I forgot to add that I rescued a stray cat from the bitter cold in Alta, Wyoming. It had been hanging around for several months and wouldn't let anyone catch it, so I set a live trap. It wasn't feral, but just scared. I caught it the night a bitter cold storm with 2 feet of snow came in. I found it a great home. That made the whole year for me and almost got me kicked out of Slacker U, but it was worth it. (Note the round dog biscuits - they didn't work too well, though the magpies loved them. I finally got into town and got some canned Feline Feesty stuff.)

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Oooo, good idea! 2020 was overall a fairly good year for me:

My husband and I both already worked from home so we had no major disruptions to our daily routine, and our employment seems stable (fingers crossed).

We were well stocked on toilet paper, having bought our yearly Costco sized pack a few months prior to the surge in demand.

In February I got to visit Death Valley for the second time, this time with my husband. It had been 2 years since he had last been willing to camp & hike with me. That's following on a gap of 9 years, so major improvement!

I got to sneak in a last minute trip to Colorado to see some gorgeous fall foliage in September.

Not going to the gym means that some of my long term aches have simmered down, and I was finally motivated to see a doctor to start addressing the stuff that hasn't. My body needed the forced break since I'm too stubborn to have done it on my own.

I've had more time available this year to spend reading, which I love but never seem to get to do as much as I want.

I ate good food. We did lots of takeout for the first few months to support our favorite restaurants. I usually ordered dessert (merely to stimulate the economy more ;)), which I rarely do while dining in...and I've managed to keep the weight gain under 5 lbs!
 
I had my aortic valve replaced in my heart which was an amazing experience.
An application I made with another artist for a show at Carbondale Arts was accepted, for a show in April. This was deeply satisfying.
My canoe trip through Labyrinth Canyon in September and a backpack in Grand Gulch helped end the year nicely.
I have been working from home the last 10 months, and that has been a good thing, as I spent more time with Nancy than I ever have, getting to know her better after 40 years.
And I drank a lot of really good wine.
 
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