2021 Year in Review

Sitting here writing this, I honestly can’t believe the year is over. This was, hands down, the fastest any year has ever gone by for me. They say time flies when you’re having fun, which must mean this was the most fun year I’ve ever had.

I couldn’t tell you exactly why this year was so great, but I have a few theories.

Maybe it was because I spent one of the first weeks in a robe, next to a fire, in a hotel room in Park City, at the base of a mountain, with some of my best friends.

Maybe it was because I spent the week after that in Scottsdale with some of my other best friends playing a bunch of golf.

Maybe it was because a few weeks after that I moved back to Manhattan — the city I had called home before the pandemic.

Maybe it was because I got to celebrate one of my best friends’ wedding and stand a few feet to his left while he married the girl of his dreams.

Maybe it was because I made a new best friend, who laughs at (most of) my jokes (even the really bad ones) and accompanies me on lots of adventures.

Maybe it was because I got to meet my nephew (not my actual nephew, but to him I’m “uncle Jarred” so we’ll just go with it) for the first time and spend a few days with him in Seattle.

Maybe it was because, for the first time in my life, I stopped listening to what everyone else said I should do, and did something that felt true.

Maybe it was because Still Woozy came out with (arguably) the greatest album of all time.

Maybe it was because I got to show my family around Manhattan and have my sister show me around Chicago a few weeks later (and show me what it looks like to be the most athletic sibling).

Maybe it was because I got to start a new job at an awesome company.

Maybe it was because I got to witness the joy of welcoming yet another family member into the world.

Maybe it was because I got to laugh and dance a lot with my aforementioned new best friend in Durham, New York, Scottsdale, Los Angeles, and Kauai.

Maybe it was a combination of all of those things.

Maybe it was more about some of the experiments I did.

I tried to read less and do more.

I tried to think less and be more.

I tried to sit less and run more.

I tried to talk less and listen more.

I tried to accept less and discover more.

I tried to text less and facetime more.

I tried to numb less and feel more.

I tried to scroll less and stroll more.

I tried to assume less and inquire more.

I tried to stick to the beaten path less and wander more.

I won’t claim to harbor any more wisdom than the next guy or gal. I might have a few more quotes memorized than the average Joe or Josephine, but unfortunately, that doesn’t count for a whole lot.

Above all, this year highlighted the importance of having great people in my life.

Having great people in your life is…well…great, but it’s even better when you understand that not a single one of them is under any sort of obligation to conform to your idea of what they should or shouldn’t be, say, or do.

This year, I’ve tried to let the people in my life bear the weight of my affection rather than my expectations. I’ve tried to ensure they were the subject of my curiosity rather than my judgment.

Someone told me once that everyone is just trying their best. I didn’t agree at first. I thought it was an overly optimistic simplification of the world. After thinking about it most days for the better part of the last year, I can’t think of a more important idea.

Everyone is on their own journey, dealing with their own obstacles that stand in the way of whatever ideals they deem worthy of their efforts. In that sense, life is both more and less complicated than it seems. More complicated in the sense that everyone is complex beyond even their own comprehension. Less complicated in the sense that despite this complexity, with the right attitude, most of us can still end up finding something worth smiling about in this crazy world.

I’m not saying it’s easy, it’s not supposed to be. I’m saying it’s fun. Not all of it is fun. Not even most of it is fun. It’s fun precisely because most of it isn’t fun.

The fun part is sitting here now, looking back at the past year. Looking at all of the memories I made with the people I care about. Looking back at everything I did and everything I didn’t do. I don’t see my triumphs or tribulations as reasons to ease my foot off the pedal. Sure, reflection might take a couple of notches off of my speed temporarily. Sometimes you have to go slow to go fast.

I look at everything that has happened over the past year as a recognition of the opportunity I have. Every year that goes by…scratch that…every day that goes by brings with it the implication that I now have less time. One fewer day to spend with the people I care about. One fewer day to create the change I wish to see in the world.

This is a promise to myself to make my time count. To ask for forgiveness rather than permission. After all, the cautious seldom err or write great poetry.

Thank you to everyone who helped make this last year so special.

Lots more to come.

—

Enjoy this post? Click here to subscribe to my weekly newsletter and be amused every Monday!