Goodbye Goodbye 2020

 Five hundred twenty five thousand six hundred minutes

How do you measure? Measure a year?

I woke up with that line from the song  from "rent" in my head.  This year has been many things.  I am struggling with words for it.  If I continue quoting song lyrics I can go on to  Paul Simon " And I don't know a soul who's not been battered, I don't have a friend who feels at ease, I don't know a dream that's not been shattered, Or driven to its knees. "  It's like that this morning, as I sit in my corner of my kitchen that has doubled as my workplace since March.  At the start, it was kind of cool to be home and not have to get up so early and put on business attire- I am NOT wearing PJs at work, but I haven't worn a dress and stockings in months.  Now, it's kind of a drag.  I miss the building, my co-workers, the books.  I miss the ability to end my day in a real and concrete way, I miss decompressing in the car by singing along with the radio or listening to a really good book.  But I really can't complain.  I am lucky beyond measure that my work - and my paycheck- can continue.  This year, I donated more to charity than I ever have.  People are hurting.  It was something I COULD do.  Doing that gave me a little sense of  control, I guess.  Action  rather than inaction.  

Everyone can agree, it's been a rough year.

I am looking forward to brushing the dust of this year off my feet.  I am looking with hope toward a renewed sense of purpose as this country moves away from the Con Artist who has convinced about 70 million people that up is down and black is white and Obama is coming for your guns...How can you leave this year without discussing the cesspool that he has made of the American political system?  He has really made it clear that there is an "Us and them" mentality in some people and he has worked to make people hate and fear, rather than love and trust.  He  ramps up his base ( who are truly "base" in my opinion) and calls them "Patriots"  I wonder how my seven times great grandfather Frederick Castor who really WAS a patriot  would feel about designating people advocating the overthrow of our Republic as such  (the family is part of Pennsylvania history, I found a book on the family this year and found it interesting to read).

Still it's been a year.  One of my friends posed this fill in the blank on Facebook  "This year I learned that _____

Hmmm.  Well , This year I learned that people are  easy to panic and that toilet paper should be stockpiled.  This year I learned that some people will believe anything if it plays to their darkest fears.  This year, I learned that some people will rise and be stronger than even they knew they could be.  This year, I have learned it is ok to walk away from people, that you can't change a closed mind and that it is important to take care of your heart and mind.  Where there is life, there is always hope.

As we count down to the last day of the year, I am looking for end and beginning traditions.  The Irish leave the door open to let the old year out and the new year in.  As I heard gunfire this morning ( yes at 6 am some idiot was shooting on the block) I am not sure about that one.  Germans eat some kind of pork on New Years Day and in the South black eyed peas are for luck.  Probably try to get both,  we will need all the luck we can muster in 2021

HAPPY NEW YEAR