Go Ahead, Celebrate 2020
Even if all you did was survive.
2020 has been a dumpster-fire of a year for many (if not most) people on Earth. Amid slashed incomes and lost jobs, we witnessed protests, a life-threatening pandemic, and a nail-biting election that got even non-Americans like me anxiously refreshing their screens every minute.
And yet, despite all this, I propose we celebrate 2020.
Yes, yes, I can hear all the screaming. And let me be clear: I don’t intend to minimize the very real troubles of 2020. People who have lost loved ones to Covid-19 probably don’t want to celebrate, and I get that. If you don’t want to celebrate, you have every right to opt-out.
But call me a naïve optimist, because I do believe there are some things worth celebrating.
You’ve likely achieved more than you think
When November rolled around, I reflected on my year. At first, I was filled with dread. What have I possibly achieved this year? Surely not much. Most of my 2020 has consisted of sitting in a chair, staring at a computer, and panicking over coronavirus, racism, elections, wildfires, and everything bad that was happening.
But when I reflected further, I realized that I did accomplish a few things.
You’re welcome to read a more personal account of my end-of-year reflections here. But today, I won’t talk about how much money I made on Medium or anything like that. Today, I want to celebrate wider achievements that you may relate to too. These may seem simple, but they are nonetheless important.
4 things to celebrate in 2020
Here’s a list of things to celebrate in 2020: surviving, family, lessons, and decisions.
Celebrate surviving
By surviving, I don’t necessarily mean catching Covid-19 and recovering. I mean surviving the circumstances — lost wages, furloughed jobs, strained relationships, and mental health stress to name a few. We should all congratulate ourselves for having survived 2020, period.
Of course, some of us have had to survive more than others. I’m lucky in that I got to work from home, so I’ve had to deal with far fewer stress than a front-line worker.
Here’s a list of things to celebrate in 2020: surviving, family, lessons, and decisions.
But working from home doesn’t mean 2020 was a cakewalk. Some folks have found working from home challenging. The boundary between work and life has blurred, and sharing your office with partners, family members, children, and pets has hampered worker productivity.
I don’t think the pandemic has been a cakewalk for anyone (unless you’re so privileged you own your own island — and even then, being stuck on an island can suck). Around the beginning of the pandemic, my OCD symptoms had skyrocketed. Like many people all over the world, my mental health suffered.
Some people were extra productive during the pandemic, baking bread, writing books, and finishing DIY projects. I don’t know about you, but as someone who didn’t feel pandemic-productive, I felt exhausted just witnessing all the backyard projects around me. But if you relate, I don’t think people like us should beat ourselves up over this.
Bottom line: no matter your circumstances, know that surviving is enough. For shit’s sake, we’re in a global pandemic on a scale the world has never seen. In these extraordinary times, give yourself a treat for making it through the day.
Celebrate family
At some point in 2020, you were probably confined to a household of humans. You likely had to navigate living together 24 hours a day, seven days a week in close quarters. This may have given way to quarreling and bickering, but it may have also built — or at least informed — some relationships.
I moved out of my parents’ house two years ago. When the pandemic hit, I divvied my time between my parents’ and my own house, sometimes staying with my folks for weeks at a time. I’m someone who really values their privacy and independence, so living with my parents and feeling like a teenager again was initially challenging.
Eventually, though, I adjusted. More than anything, I think I really got to know my family this year. I see them less as My Parents and more as people. Of course, we don’t agree on every single thing, but through more in-depth conversations, I’ve discovered that my parents and I are more alike than I’d originally thought.
[Living together] may have given way to quarrelling and bickering, but it may have also built — or at least informed — some relationships.
I think this understanding came from spending more time together, bonding over a common existential threat, and reminding myself every day to be grateful that my loved ones are healthy.
Now, I recognize that not all families get along. During the pandemic, domestic violence has surged around the world, putting the lives of women and children in particular in danger.
But I’ve also read stories of people leaving abusive situations for good during the pandemic. This is why I think the ending of relationships is worth celebrating too.
Bottom line: this year, let’s celebrate what we’ve learned about our families and relationships. If you experienced challenges with your loved ones and powered through them, celebrate that. But if you finally left a toxic relationship in 2020, or came to a big realization that the people you share a household with don’t deserve to be called your family, I say celebrate that too.
Celebrate lessons
Other than understanding a lot more about how viruses work, 2020 has been an educational year for me.
I work for an anti-oppressive organization and see myself as relatively well-informed about social justice, but I still learned a lot from the Black Lives Matter protests this summer.
#BLM made me reflect on my own complicity in systemic racism. I also began to think more deeply about how I want to live in the world as an informed and compassionate global citizen. So, I researched, learned about, and gave more to community organizations that align with my values. And unless financial circumstances make it necessary, I don’t plan to stop my monthly donations after the pandemic.
There has been an explosion of webinars during the Year of Virtual Everything. So, ask yourself: what have you learned this year? It doesn’t necessarily have to have been a course or even a new skill. What interesting fact have you learned about anti-racism, American democracy, climate change? What books have you read, what Medium articles have skimmed, and what Reddit forums have you perused that made you think, “Hmm, I haven’t considered this before”?
#BLM made me reflect on my own complicity in systemic racism. I also began to think more deeply about how I want to live in the world as an informed and compassionate global citizen.
Bottom line: even if it’s little, congratulate yourself for learning something new this year. And to continue the momentum, consider diving deeper into a topic come 2021.
Celebrate decisions
Has this year thrown a wrench into your long-term plans? For example, I had originally planned to work abroad in 2021, but I doubt this will happen.
I did, however, make some major life decisions. Most notably, I made the ambitious decision that I will write — and finish writing — a book. I can’t promise that I will get this book published, but I can promise that I will do everything I can to get as far as I can.
This may seem like a pretty straightforward decision, but it was a long time in the making. It’s always been my dream to write and publish a novel, but I’ve always procrastinated at it. I didn’t see it as “real” work so I’d push it to the end of the day, then not work on it because I was too tired.
So, I made the decision that getting this novel done would be my job. This decision, while simple, permeates my everyday life. I carve out time, say no to social occasions, set deadlines, and I plan to invest in hiring support.
I can’t promise that I will get this book published, but I can promise that I will do everything I can to get as far as I can.
(By the way, I don’t see my book as a “pandemic project.” It’s a life project that will extend well beyond the length of this pandemic.)
This year, I even pondered whether I want to be a writer for the rest of my life. I’ve always assumed I will be, but the pandemic has inspired me to challenge this status quo.
Bottom line: have you made any significant, long-term decisions this year that are worth celebrating? If so, celebrate your courage and new goals. If not, meditate on your goals for 2021 and beyond. Ask yourself what you want life in a post-pandemic world to look like.
If you haven’t achieved much, that’s okay too
I’ve rattled on quite a few things in this article. Hopefully, something resounded with you. If not, there’s still time in 2020 to find something to celebrate. Call a friend you haven’t spoken to in a while. Sign up for a free webinar. Crack open a book. Or, draw that bath you’ve owed yourself all year because you’ve been too burnt out to celebrate yourself.
That’s right. At the end of the day, celebrate yourself. You’ve made it through one helluva year, and that’s worth clinking a glass to.
Li Charmaine Anne (she/they) is a Canadian author and freelance writer residing on the unceded Coast Salish territories otherwise known as Vancouver, BC. Her work has appeared in literary journals and magazines and she is at work on her first novel, a contemporary YA about queer Asian skater girls. Follow Charmaine on Twitter: @ChartheShark304
