We have almost made it through this year. Can you believe it? It started out well enough, 2020 was supposed to be a year of travel for us. Our first trip, an adults only one, went off without a hitch. We made it to Disney World and back without incident, but shortly thereafter the world changed, and every thing we had planned became another thing that had to be cancelled. What I didn't realize as this was all going on was how much time together we were going to have and how that was going to shift all the family dynamics from here on out.
At the beginning of lock down, much like the rest of the country, we were a bit scared and nervous. We didn't know what to expect and were't even sure how to explain it all to our kids in real time. As time went on, and we realized the only request was for us to spend all of our time within our own home and among our own family, we decided to embrace it. The weather started turning and we starting spending a lot of time outdoors, playing disc golf, working on home projects, and BBQing. While the kids may have been sick of the adults, the truth is I really started to enjoy having everyone around and not a lot of things on the schedule. Mike and our oldest were still leaving the house for work and we all for the most part enjoyed one another's company.
As summer began and restrictions started lifting, life began a new normal. The teenager and the girlfriend were back in each other's orbits, and the preteen began a shortened baseball schedule. This was tough for me. I knew we were not going to stay locked away forever but I was enjoying the time and knew I'd never get it back so I planned a family trip. We got very lucky and were able to rent a house off the Chesapeake Bay in a remote area of the Northern Neck of Virginia. We brought the teens girlfriend with and invited my sister who lives in Virginia to join us for a few days as well. Beside the day I went into town for groceries, the only people we saw besides each other were other marine travelers. It was delightful, the kids played board games, spent time fishing and kayaking. I got plenty of walking and running in, while Mike worked on his disc golf game. We cooked meals together, played games together, and just had a great time together.
Since we returned home in August, more normalcy began to creep in. The kids restarted school, albeit virtually, more work, more baseball, and then BAM holidays! Typically, my favorite time of the year, as it all brings me joy, has been a bit of a struggle this year. The decorating got done but I wasn't in the mood to do them, it was more obligation. Then Thanksgiving arrived this past week/weekend and finally my Christmas Spirit arrived with it. I finally bought a present, and even walked the mall with my preteen a couple of times. We spent the day before the holiday cooking together and even Thanksgiving itself. We completed all the Christmas lights, watched a few shows, played a few games and now I feel refreshed and ready to take on the end of the year! 2020 has been an unpredictable year, as a matter of fact I am supposed to be in Florida right now, but Covid had other plans. While, i ready for it to be over and to start a new chapter and maybe plan a few of these trips we missed, I won't forget it. It has taught me how to be alone, not lonely. It has taught me to embrace those closest to me and to not take any days for granted. And, most importantly it has taught me that time doesn't stand still, so to take in all those slow moments cause they are few and far in between. A family refresh over the holiday weekend was just what I needed to set me up for what's to come. How was your holiday weekend?