Today is the beginning of my 61^st New Year, and presumably, based on all the good wishes from others, a HAPPY New Year.  A wish for 365 days of happy.  Or perhaps a wish for more happy than not.

Let’s face it, we remember the high and low points.  We remember the highlights of human existence, the births, the deaths, the graduations, birthday celebrations, weddings, divorces and everything in between.  The list of items that psychologists use to decide how stressful our year has been, both the good and the not so good.  Because it’s not really about whether the events have been good or bad, it’s how big a change those events make in your life.  Like having a child – or your third child when you slowly realize that now you and your spouse are outnumbered by children.  What were we thinking?  Obviously, we weren’t.

If we’re speaking of human existence as a whole, 2020 was a horrible year.  But there were pockets of wonderful this year as well.  A friend of mine adopted a beautiful child.  A couple of acquaintances married their soul mates.  Students graduated from institutions despite the hardships. People moved into their dream jobs.  As a family, looking at this from the most simplistic point of view, aside from having to wear masks, working from home for a while and cooking from home instead of going out, we did just fine and we’re grateful.  Were there bad events during the year?  Yes, there was a major life event and we missed the opportunity to be with our extended family during the holidays, but in the larger scheme of things, during a time when so many others suffered so much, we really have nothing to complain about.

We’ve learned in this past year that being in control is an illusion.  No matter how big a control freak you are (like me) or how hard you have your thumb pressed, or your nose to the grindstone, all it takes is a pandemic to turn our whole world upside down.  Like I tell teachers, we talk about classroom management all the time, but who is really in control?  The kids of course.  We can manage, coerce, motivate, and encourage, but when push comes to shove, we’re not in control.  This past year was a lot like walking into a room as a substitute teacher where the kids are in control and there is no lesson plan.  Nothing we have in our bag of tricks works.  So what do we learn from this for the future?  Besides being in awe of teachers who deal with this reality day in and day out, it’s that no matter how many careful plans we make, no matter how big a control freak we are, we’ve learned that it only takes one major event in our lives to turn it all upside down and send things down a cliff.  If you’re like me, it will make you crazy, sometimes with days full of sadness and anger, but it will also remind you of who is really in control and to trust in Him instead.  There is hope in that knowledge.

This is not to say that we can’t plan.  There’s nothing that says you can or should sit on your butt and wait for the good to come your way.  Putting feet to your hopes, dreams and aspirations makes those dreams more of a reality.  If nothing else, I’m personally looking at 2021 as an opportunity take the necessary steps to follow my dreams, maybe even more motivated to follow through the necessary steps than ever before.  

You know, there’s no guarantee that 2021 will be any better or worse than 2020.  There’s the HOPE that things will be better, but while it may be better for others, it may not be for you.  We have no idea what the future holds, so in the meantime, perhaps we need to focus on the day to day and to be mindful of the large and small events that make life wonderful.  And as long as we’re still alive and kicking, there is always hope.  Wishing you all a more Happy New Year than not.