December 31, 2020 in Dag

Goodbye and good riddance 2020

Well, would you believe it? We’ve finally arrived at the last day of 2020. What a journey. At times, it was hard to believe we’d actually get here. And the sad thing is lots of people around the world didn’t get here.

At the end of any year, I like to post a bit of a reflection on what has just passed – to talk a bit about how I’ve managed, and how I’ve gone with meeting the goals I set myself at the start of the year.

After a year like this, thinking about any kind of goal set at the start of the year seems kind of irrelevant. The main feeling is just relief that such a challenging year is over. And a hope that things will look up in 2021. But what can I say, from a personal level, about the year.

Firstly, I’m thankful that I’m still here, still healthy, and still (relatively) sane. While avoiding Covid, I have had my share of health challenges and am glad to have come out the other end.

Also very grateful to be living in a part of the world that, partly through good management and partly through good luck (and geography) has escaped the worst of the pandemic. Lockdown has been challenging, but we seem to be over the worst and returning to some sense of normality – hopefully to continue in the new year as vaccinations take hold. I’ve also been lucky that I could do my job from home, so could ensure financial security for the family. I’m very conscious that this wasn’t an option for everybody.

The amazing thing is, amongst all these difficulties and uncertainties, I managed to be quite productive with my writing. Does that mean I addressed my goals for the year? That’s easy to answer, because at the start of the year I didn’t set myself any goals.

Perhaps I had some kind of inkling of the year ahead. Who can say. But the lack of any goals did not in any way impinge on my productivity or reduce my incentive. Because I’m pretty proud of what I achieved on the writing front.

1. I completed a second draft of my novel – the comedy/fantasy/romance/adventure/satire. Even better, I felt like the rewrite addressed most of the issues (and believe me, there were many) in the first draft. Not to say it’s done yet – still plenty of work still to do. But after almost four years, I can now see an end in sight, and the possibility of a work I can be really proud of.

2. I also completed a number of little rhyming stories. I feel like this is becoming my new thing – and with each one I write I get a little bit better at it. Not sure what will happen with them, but whether they get published or not, writing them is a lot of fun.

So overall, I feel like I’ve come through the challenges of the year in good shape. I know not everyone has been so fortunate, so want to pass thoughts on to those affected by the pandemic, or any of the other dysfunctions that have haunted the year.

And, like pretty much everyone, I’m hoping things will look up next year.

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