2020

By now you have probably seen so many Facebook posts, and media stories about the new decade, that your eyes glaze over when you see the numerals "2", "0", "2" and "0" linked together in a headline. Well, here's one more for you to read . . . my two cents on 2020!

Hindsight is 20/20. We have heard that expression countless times. It's not the same "2020" we all might be thinking about as the new year starts, but it struck me when I was considering the close of the old year and the beginning of the new one that I could benefit from a look back at the past year, and even the past decade, as well as some prognostication in the way of realistic goal setting and a little foresight. 

Overall, 2019 was a pretty good year and the last ten years have been a mixed bag of memories. Some were great, others  . . . not so great. Yet, in the big picture, they have helped me develop into who I am today . . . right now. And next year, or in one more decade, if I am fortunate to still be on the planet, I will have learned more things, experienced more things and developed and changed. In my case, change has been good for me. Has it been easy? Not always. Expected? Not always. Inevitable? Always.

One big change for me that has been more of an evolution than an intentional one is the way I spend my time. I used to love to be on the go and viewed being home as though I was missing something important that was happening elsewhere. It was almost as if I didn't like my home enough to stay there for very long. I would find reasons to go out the door and run so many errands that I would come home exhausted and grouchy. If I had a 50% off coupon for a store or saw that something was on special at the grocery store, I took off for town. Not every purchase was really all that much of a bargain, either. In the back of the pantry I still find outdated cans that were part of those shopping trips, which tells me that both the time I spent shopping and the money I spent were both wasted. By finding things I truly love to do at home, this past year helped me develop a desire to be home as much as possible. I now am among the ranks of those who call themselves homebodies. I could never understand the concept until it became part of my own development. And I am so happy that it has. 

I started 2019 on a mission to do some serious deep cleaning of long-neglected corners and closets and found that to be a very rewarding job for the winter months. When spring arrived, I was glad I had met that goal and I could go outside and tend my gardens without the self-imposed guilt I used to carry around about needing to clean my house. Spot cleaning and tidying was really all I needed to do in the summer, since my husband and I spent much of our time outside. I now put off going to town for as long as I can and it feels very natural. That was real growth for me.

The feeling of accomplishment from meeting some of my goals for the past year has given me the confidence to forge ahead into 2020. One goal that has been a moving target is getting my boxes of old photos out and looking at them to enjoy the memories and to make notes on the back to indicate where and why they were taken and who is in them. That task has been on my To Do List for decades. I would wistfully mention to others that it would be a good thing to do on a wintery day, but those days have all come and melted away. The idea is more concrete now, especially after attending calling hours recently for my cousin and viewing the slide show of photos of her that were on a TV screen at the mortuary. I witnessed how impactful those photos were for the bereaved family and friends, and soon I will . . . not hope to . . . but will get those photos off the shelf and begin the process of sorting and documenting them. I plan to share them with the people in them and a few may end up here in a future blog post.

I have started to do some papercrafting again. My supplies were hidden behind my wreath-making supplies, so I had to figure out . . . yet again . . . a useful storage arrangement for all of my various craft items. Now it is easier for me to grab a little time in between other things to sit down for a short spell and play with my pretty papers and embellishments. It doesn't make sense for me to spend money on beautiful paper and ribbons and lace and bring them home and put them in a drawer and out of sight.

The beginnings of a journal I am making.
This one is for me to record my thoughts.
I will use some of my beautiful paper and embellishments to create something special just for me!
(To enlarge the photo, click on it.)

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. I appreciate your comments and questions and I will read them and respond. You can leave them here on this post or on Facebook. 

As always, it is my wish that you and those you love are safe, happy and healthy; and until we meet again, may the Lord hold you in the hollow of His hand.

Emmy