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It’s been another quarter of 2020, and we meet again. COVID-19 is still here, and shows no signs of relenting any time soon. There’s talk of a vaccine being ready by the end of the year, and possibly widely distributed by mid-2021. All I can say is I hope they’re right.
I’ve had a harder time than usual saying goodbye to summer this year. Usually, I readily embrace fall, the changing foliage, and the cozy chill in the air. I love wearing sweaters and jeans, drinking coffee, and listening to slightly moodier music than usual.
This year is different though. I wasn’t ready to let go of the lightness that summer brought to these heavy months. Even with so much chaos going on in the world, it was nice to escape to a patio for a drink, take walks to Lake Erie, and have socially distanced bonfires in the backyard.
I know fall doesn’t necessarily end all those things, but fall is followed by winter, and I am not quite ready to go through a COVID winter.
Truthfully, this year has been tough on us all, and I’ve not been exempt from the occasional weak moment. This is where I’m thankful that I’ve made all these goals, to give me a glimmer of hope with so much in the world that I can’t control.
New Year’s Goals for 2020 – 3rd Quarter Update
The below goals have shown me what is still possible, even under the restrictions of COVID-19. There is still plenty to hope for this year, and some things that are still under our control. Maybe it’s harder, or is taking longer, but isn’t it better to at least try and move an inch forward than to do nothing at all?
I’ve always been one to readily grab the inch when no one else thought it was worth taking. After all, grabbing all those leftover inches really adds up over time!
#1 – Visit a New State
Georgia was supposed to be our new state this year, and we had a trip booked for May. That fell through due to COVID-19, so I delayed the trip to July, extended it a week, and added Charleston. In May, I thought surely things would be looking much better by July.
We now know how wrong that was, and how long term this new COVID world really is. One month after I rescheduled that trip, both of those locations had spiked with COVID-19. So, once again, I cancelled for credits that must be used by next May.
With recently decreasing COVID cases in Georgia, this trip is back on the calendar. I hope it works out this time, as I am really not feeling cancelling yet another trip this year.
#2 – Visit a New Country
Aaron and I were supposed to visit Ireland for our new country this year. I had bought the guidebook and everything!
When COVID cases did not go down over summer and Europe stay closed to Americans, it became pretty clear that this trip was not going to happen.
Now it’s October, which is the month that we were supposed to go. Obviously, Ireland is still closed to Americans, and this trip is not happening. The one silver lining is that I booked through Chase, who cancelled everything for me and put all my reward points back on my card. I can’t wait until I can use those bad boys again!
#3 – Write One Blog Post Per Week
I’ve done well with writing blog posts this year, though I have missed a few weeks. This is typical for me around crazy deadlines at work, so I’ve learned to go easy on myself during those times. Sometimes, it is just plain unrealistic to expect myself to produce a quality blog post under such stressful circumstances.
One thing I am really happy about this year is that I’ve written some posts I’ve been meaning to write for YEARS. Since I haven’t travelled as much this year, I’ve had less new places to write about. Therefore, I’ve been able to take care of some of my ever growing backlog.
When travel opens up again, it would be nice to be caught up and write about my trips closer to when they actually happen!
#4 – Be Able to do Crow Pose
I cancelled this goal because ten goals was too much for me, and the last thing I need this year is extra unneeded stress that I bring upon myself.
I did attempt crow pose at an outdoor yoga class recently, and actually sort of balanced a little bit. However, I’m almost certain it didn’t look very graceful…
#5 – Learn French
Sadly, I’ve had to take a break from learning French. I’ve just had too much going on with work, and I’ve devoted any extra time to writing blog content.
Okay, and I’ll confess I’ve really wanted to get out and do fall activities on the weekends. Last year, fall was so busy at work that I missed everything. No pumpkin patches or apple picking for me. This year, I’m pretty determined not to let that happen, so sometimes I’ve sacrificed working on the blog as well.
#6 – Read 12 Books
I’m doing better with reading books this year than I’ve done in a long time! I did start out the year a lot stronger and have now slowed a bit, but I still can’t believe how many books I’ve managed to read.
To those who think this is small – you’d be shocked to know how little I read in my adult life since college. Heck, since high school even.
Here’s what I’ve read this year:
- Big Magic (my favorite so far!)
- The War of Art
- Essentialism
- You Are a Badass (re-read)
- The Obstacle is the Way
- Everything is Figureoutable
- Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (feels so good to finally read something that isn’t about personal development!)
#7 – Save $40k – DONE
As of October 2nd, this goal is complete! Now on to bigger and better goals, like redoing our awful bathrooms! I’ve been staring at the heinous paint on their walls for too long now.
#8 – Pay Off Car – DONE
All paid off as of August!! I am now funneling this money into future travel savings.
#9 – Have 100 Posts on My Blog
I am so close to this goal, and I could be at 100 posts by the end of October! My total is currently at 97, or 98 after this post is published.
It truly is amazing to see how far these first 100 posts have taken me. As of the end of September, I was almost at 20,000 page views. I’m not even at 100 posts yet, and I am already wondering where the next 100 could take me!
#10 – Complete the Cleveland Brewery Passport
Coronavirus basically ruined this goal, but maybe it’s for the best. Now we just go to our favorite brewery, Masthead, over and over again, and I can’t say I mind.
• • •
As you can see, coronavirus hasn’t ruined everything. Yes, this year is different from any year we’ve ever faced, and yes, I cannot wait for these hard times to be behind us.
However, time just keeps a’ticking, and there is still so much I want to accomplish. I refuse to let this year count for nothing, and am going to try to squeeze any ounce of good from it that I can.
I think that’s the best any of us can expect from ourselves, with so much uncertainty still ahead. But one thing is for certain – no one is alone in this, so let’s all be kind to each other.
