Like many of you, I wouldn’t mind putting 2020 behind me and forgetting that it ever happened. There might be one or two photos of me taken this year with a mask on as I would like little-to-no evidence of the circumstances that brought the world to its knees and put a near-complete stop to the thing I love to do most: TRAVEL.
But as much as I am looking forward to a clean slate, the year was not a total loss for me. And that’s what I want to focus on when I look back.
Here’s how 2020 went down for me (while skipping the bits that I’d prefer to forget).
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At the beginning of the pandemic, Pollyanna Beth predicted that things would be back to normal in a few weeks, maybe a month. Oh jeez, I just didn’t know, did I? But few did. And we optimists wanted to believe that we’d get out of this mess that became a pandemic sooner rather than later.
Back then, I wrote a list of things I wanted to get done before the pandemic was over. I titled the list:
At the end of the quarantine, what would I be disappointed with if it wasn’t completed?
The list included everything from work-related tasks, such as editing specific episodes of the She’s Bold podcast (now on hiatus until I can record again in-person) and yearly taxes, to more personal tasks such as selling items on Ebay and working on art projects. No, sorting my sock drawer wasn’t on the list, although that DID get done!
As the weeks dragged on, the urgency to complete projects diminished. While some items got checked off the list, there are still some items on there–even 10 months later! And, for sure, more tasks got added.
With all of my international trips for the year cancelled (I was lucky to have traveled to Norway in January and Morocco in February), I had more time on my hands and was home more than I ever have been. Ever. So I tried to make the best use of it. Here’s what I did:
- Got a zoom account. Early on in the pandemic I subscribed to Zoom so I could stay connected with some of my tour peeps. But then found that my wider Wanderlust community wanted a way to connect, so I set up calls during the year so that we could virtually spend time together. (I haven’t had one of those calls in months but am thinking of making this a regular thing. Lemme know if you’d be interested in joining me.)
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One of the most valuable things to come out of Zoom was/is my Monday night calls with friends from New Jersey. Some of them I’ve known since kindergarten. 50 years of friendship! There are about 20 of us in the group and as many as 12 of us might show up on any given night.
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I don’t think that this new habit will go away 🙂.
. - Dusted off my guitar. I took in-person classical guitar classes about 10 years ago. My beautiful guitar (handcrafted by a luthier in Paraguay) has sat in my closet for a number of years. As much as I love playing and hearing classical guitar, I let my lessons lapse. BUT, I found online courses through the LA Guitar Academy. I now practice fairly regularly (3-5 times/week), even if it’s for a short amount of time. And I can tell that my skills are coming back, even if I don’t have my teacher right in front of me..
. - Inspired by a friend who also runs a tour company, I created a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for our guides. All in all, we raised close to $12,000 and I was able to transfer about $1,200 to 10 guides who participated in the fundraiser. All of them live in countries where there is no government assistance or safety net for the type of work they do. And because they have had absolutely no work since early this year, these funds came in very handy. Their gratitude has been palpable. 🙂
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- To keep my self motivated and fit, I decided to run every single street and alley in my neighborhood of West Seattle (650+ miles, by my estimate). Many people came up with creative ways to keep exercising, even in the most stringent of lockdowns, and many people are running every single street in their city. But I don’t know of anyone who has included alleys (and we have A LOT in West Seattle). Seattle Met Magazine did a nice write-up about my project 🙂.
. - Speaking of running, without any intention to do so, I found a running buddy (who also happens to be named Beth!) and found myself running one day a week with her. I’ve known Beth Baker for a couple of years (since she was on my podcast), but these regular runs have been a wonderful way for us to get to know each other (and share cookies and other goodies). I’m used to running alone but I found these runs to be a real treat that I now look forward to..
. - Before I leave the topic of running, I should mention that I became a co-race director for the Epic5 Run in Hawaii. This is the event that I ran in late 2019 – five 50Ks in 5 days on 5 Hawaiian islands. I so loved that event that I wanted to be a part of it and somehow finagled my way into joining the really fabulous folks at Epic5 as co-race director. Whoop whoop!
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. - 100/100/100 – It just so happens that on January 1, 2020, I began a habit of doing 100 pushups and 100 sit-ups a day. I’ve attempted this in the past but I usually break my streak when I travel. But…this year? No travel so no breaking the streak!
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As of this writing, I’m now days away from completing the full year. I do have to give credit to our friend, Ted, who is well into year 20 (YEAR TWENTY!) of 100/100. So why did I add the extra 100 above? Back in mid-November, I added 100 squats to my days and I’m on about week six of that. I’m now considering what I might add come January. 🙂.
. - Continuing on the health theme, Jon and I found a service called Inside Tracker where we can get blood tests done to track our health. It’s simple enough in that we went to one of their recommended labs for a blood draw and, less than a week later, had an online dashboard of information about our health, including recommendations for improvement.
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We just got the results back from our first blood draw and the plan is to make testing a more regular thing (twice a year?) so we can keep track of our results and tweak what needs to be tweaked on an ongoing basis.
. - Although this was on my list very early in the year, I finally got in touch with my inner artist just before Christmas and painted “postcard boxes” for my Epic Nephews (technically my great nephews but I prefer EPIC). All three of them just turned one. I began sending them postcards late in 2019 and, when I start traveling again, those boxes will get filled with postcards from around the world, hopefully igniting Wanderlust in each of them!.
. - This year I learned how to make royal icing (first, I learned WHAT royal icing is – LOL) and also how to bake cutout cookies that don’t stick and get deformed (the secret is a silpat baking mat). Thanks goes to my friend Kumiko who posts the most beautiful pictures of her cookies. Not only did I get inspired by her photos but she provided me with recipes and tips for success. I have a long way to go to get to her level of cookie beauty but I’m having fun in the meantime..
. - As an early riser, I see a lot of sunrises. But I have never seen so many from our deck in one year. I posted on my Facebook page whenever one was particularly stunning. And that happened A LOT this year..
. - In the early part of the summer, we purchased a sauna, buoyed by ongoing evidence of the health benefits. It took a couple of months to arrive on pallets, a week for Jon to build it, and another week for our friend to hook up the electric. It was worth the wait! I now spend 20-30 minutes a day, 3 – 4x a week in there. It’s where I can relax in quiet solitude, meditate using Insight Timer, and practice deep breathing exercises (see my reading list below).
. - I discovered Spotify! I’m a big music person but resisted paying for a streaming service. Halfway through the year I bit the bullet and subscribed to the paid version of Spotify and I now see why so many people love it. Oh joy! I love the playlists I’ve made by converting my old mixed tapes into digital versions that I can download and take with me. And more joy! All the playlists I’ve found that are created by others for me to enjoy!
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And…Billy Joel. If there’s any musician who can change my emotional state from being annoyed in traffic to singing at the top of my lungs, it’s Billy Joel, whose songs from his early collections I know by heart.
. - By June, I was a little antsy to be traveling and the pandemic seemed to be receding, so we rented a mini van and went van camping! We mostly visited national and state parks that were new to us as well as small communities where we could spend time socially distanced and outdoors. That brought us to Crested Butte, Colorado. We, like many other people fell in love with this community and hope to make it a regular destination for us in the future. (We learned that many people discovered CB this year, thus housing prices have soared. 🙁.
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- Although I didn’t read as much as I thought I would, I did get through a fair number of books. Well, more than usual, at least.
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Early on I read The Expedition by Chris Fagan. The way she and her husband got through their walk to the South Pole made me feel like getting through the pandemic would be easy – LOL!
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Other books I read include Astronomy for Dummies by Stephen Maran, Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert (good on audio book), Untamed by Glennon Doyle and Breath by James Nestor. By the way, Breath is an awesome book that I’ve purchased as gifts for several people as it has many suggestions for improving health by making small changes doing something we already do (um, breath).
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I’m currently consumed by The Lost Tribe by Edward Marriott about a tribe in Papua New Guinea. This I read at bedtime. And in the mornings, I start my day with Atomic Habits by James Clear. This one I’m really excited about, especially with the new year coming right up. I’m looking forward to implementing some of what I’ve learned as I set new intentions and habits for 2021 and beyond.
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I started but abandoned a number of other books. I will get back to them, it’s just that the timing wasn’t right when I first started them. One of those books is Ben Greenfield’s Boundless. Shortly after starting it, I realized that this behemoth of a book (it weighs more than six pounds!) is really best read as a reference book or encyclopedia–it’s definitely not bedtime reading given its size and weight!
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Others I’m working my way through include the Bradt Guide to Namibia (where, with any luck, I’ll be going in April), The Book of Joy by the Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu) and The Science of Enlightenment by Shinzen Young.But there are SO many other books in my pile that I haven’t even cracked open yet and more that arrived for Christmas. So I better put “read more” on my list of habits for 2021 and get after it! - Last, but certainly not least in this list, I want to honor a friend that I lost early on in the pandemic. I didn’t know Rachel well enough to feel like I could have done something to help her through the rough times, but her death might have influenced how sensitive I am about how difficult the pandemic has been for many people. RIP dear Rachel.
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So, what was on my list that I didn’t do? Two big items:
- Finish my book (tentatively called Be Bold: Discover Your Best Self Through Travel and Adventure)
. - Update Wanderlust and Lipstick: The Essential Guide for Women Traveling Solo to its 3rd edition.
Writing. There’s always something more important to do than sitting my butt down and committing to the writing process – LOL.
But there’s always 2021 🙂
Here’s hoping your 2020 provided you with some space and time to pursue things you never thought you’d have time to do. If so, leave a comment and let me know what those things were!
Happy New Year to you and yours!!!
Wow!! Congrats. That’s an amazing, inspiring list… I can’t wait to read your new books. Also love Crested Butte, and have spent the last two summers exploring central Colorado…
Love this list Beth. Glad we reconnected in a new way this year too. Keep doing you. You’re more than bold (which is an outstanding trait of yours btw) you are also kind, full of grace and incredibly thoughtful. I’m glad to know you.
Awww – thanks, Peggie! It HAS been so wonderful to reconnect!!
Always an inspiration! Can’t wait to get back to international travel.
This is such a wonderful post in so many ways. It seems like an eternity ago when I wrote to you thanking you for your idea of: “At the end of the quarantine, what would I be disappointed with if it wasn’t completed?” So I too have many items that are still on that list, as you said – the urgency faded. I will focus on all the things I did accomplish, and continue working on the list. Congratulations to you – what a year of accomplishments you have had. Grateful for all your work.
Awww, Ann. That’s super nice. I’m glad I’m not the only one whose urgency faded and still have things on the list! Good luck to you in 2021!