Looking Back at 2020

2020 for everyone has been a much different year than we have been used to, especially for young people. During this year, there have been many things that I didn’t know could or would happen that became reality. Before the year started or even back in January; we knew it would be a significant and-or possibly a crazy year. It was supposed to be a big year. We had a big election coming; we were either going to re-elect our president or elect another one. Even the year before, we knew this was going to create some sort of division. They kept telling us it was the most critical election of our time; who knows if that’s true or not, but people most certainly reacted to it. Several smaller things happened-the weather was terrible, my Europe trip with my junior cycling team canceled, and oh yeah, Coronavirus. That one was big because it has and still affects us right at this very moment. So with more time and even more strength, I learned many things. I learned grit and perseverance, two things I already knew pretty well, but I grew to know them through this tough time even more. I use them to help me get through this situation, to help me to stand firm, and yes, they help a lot. Something I also learned through this that is more recent. I have experienced less interaction with other people, something I’ve struggled with since back in March during the quarantine. Something I never expected, this was a time just with my family, and that is it—nobody else, just us. Those first days on WebEx hit me the hardest. I found myself very sad the first day logging off, after all the classes ever over, that was it, no other reactions with other people. So with that said, I missed people a lot more than I realized I would. To fill that, I tried to ride my bike much more than usual; I found myself riding way too much. It was merely because it was the only thing to do, and I liked it. Till one day, I didn’t like it, and it all came down from there, and I took some breaks. But recently, I decided to stop competitive cycling. And so far, I think it’s the best situation I’ve had. I tried to focus on relationships with others. To me, that’s what matters most. This is because I’ve missed people a lot more than I realized, and it made me feel a lot better being able to focus on relationships with others. So if there’s one thing I’ve learned during this whole time, that is to slow down and take the time, the time to get to know the people around me. This is because relationships are a true Gift.