As the year winds to a close, it’s customary to look back at all we’ve achieved in the past 365 days.
In a normal year, I suppose, that would be the case.
However, as we all know, this has been anything but a normal year. And so, while I’ve certainly achieved a few *things* this year (51 blog posts, 4 books including a co-author project, 2 short stories published, manuscript requests and rejections, a new website, plus turning the big 5-0) I feel that the story of this year is something much bigger than can be defined by mere numbers.
For this was a year of discoveries, not all of them pleasant. The discovery that teachers should be paid approximately £2546756756 per year, for starters. The discovery that people we like or love can get sucked down conspiracy wormholes, and that the ugliness of human nature is never far from the surface. But it was also a year when we were shown what the world could look like if we just stopped for a moment, the skies clearing, record bird and insect numbers, the wilderness rebounding from years of human pressure. A year when we were challenged in myriad ways, when we were forced to adapt again and again. A year of staying home, rather than going out. It was a year of change, of trying different roles or learning something new, of baking bread, or even just painting that wall in the lounge room yellow. A year when neighbours and friends and families and strangers all stepped up and worked together, a million small acts of kindness mending fractured communities. It was also a year of anxiety and stress and sorrow for so many people, for loss experienced through a screen, for watching years of work and investment crumble away within a few small months. It was a year when the idea of what is important began to shift.
It was a year to count blessings, rather than accomplishments
And so I will say simply this:
Whatever you did or didn’t do this year, if you’ve got through it, that’s enough.
And as we stand together on the cusp of 2021, and the promise of the next 365 days, remember – it may be dark at the moment, but every day brings us closer to the light.
Wishing you a safe, healthy and joyous 2021!
xx
Helen Glynn Jones 
Good summation!
Thank you! 🙂
Reblogged this on Reena Saxena and commented:
The year that was ….
Thank you for sharing 🙂
Happy New Year!
Happy New Year to you too!
Happy New Year, Helen! 🎉
And to you, too! 🙂 Let’s hope it’s a good one…
I love that line about counting blessings instead of accomplishments. Happy New Year to you and your loved ones.
Thanks so much, Craig 🙂 And a Happy New Year to you and yours as well x
I’ll drink to still being here… 😉
Me too… 😉 x
Heh, heh, heh, yep, I’ll raise a glass to that. 😀
It was a bit of a mixed bag, wasn’t it? And like those mixed bags of sweets we used to buy, it often felt like all the good ones had been taken and we’d been left with the blasted liquorice ones!
Happy New Year, Helen.
Haha! Yes, that’s a very good analogy – I can’t stand the liquorice ones either! Let’s hope we get a few more lemon sherbets this year 🙂 Happy New Year to you too, Mick
Beautifully said, Helen. Your words remind us that we are all in this together, and doing whatever we can do (and have done) is enough. Taking the pressure off ourselves is definitely in the forefront. I hope that 2021 is a wonderful year for you, and filled with blessed moments every day. Happy New Year!! Cher xoxoxo
Thanks so much, Cher 🙂 Wishing you a very happy 2021 filled with joy and light – here’s to a brighter year! Stay safe and well xx
Ah, thanks so much, Helen! And right back at YOU! Cher xoxo
Exactly! Happy New Year. xo
Thanks Darlene, and the same to you! x
Happy New Year, Helen and well said. ❤ Wishing you and your loved ones a loving, abundant and peaceful year around the sun. ❤ xXx
Thank you so much, Jane, and the same to you xx
Beautifully put, Helen
Thanks, Graeme! And Happy New Year to you 🙂
And to you, Helen. Well, let’s hope it’s a happy one!