What a crazy year this has been. I think the universe decided that the human race needed to stop and slow down in 2020. You know how as you get older it always feels like time flies? Well, the last 6 months specifically have taught me how to pause. Time has not flown, in fact kind of the opposite has happened. Each day feels long, but each day is important. Everyone has their own thoughts and opinions on how this year is going. Many people are (understandably) having a hard time and saying “2020 should be cancelled”. I saw this great quote floating around Instagram, you may have seen it, but to paraphrase it said something along the lines of
“What if 2020 isn’t cancelled? What if it’s the year we’ve been waiting for? What if it’s the year that forces us to grow? What if 2020 isn’t cancelled, but it’s the most important year of all?”
I really couldn’t agree more. I’ve appreciated the “pause” that I was forced to take. While this year has been a challenge, I’ve learned and grown so much in ways I could have never anticipated last year at this time. On my birthday last year I never would have thought I’d be spending my birthday this year in quarantine during a global pandemic. Like, not even on the list of things I thought I would ever experience in my lifetime. But the universe had other plans.
Today, on my 34th birthday, I’m appreciative for the lessons I’ve learned, for the time I’ve been granted to slow down and reflect, and for the health and safety of my friends and family. While the future is always uncertain, and perhaps even more so right now, there are many exciting things set to occur in the next year. I am thankful to be safe, healthy, and alive to see them happen. Today, I am celebrating that.
-Ash