What I learned from what people are calling the worst year in history.

 

 

 

 

 2021... people are approaching this year with such trepidation.  They are afraid to ask how things could possibly get worse, yet at the same time, they aren't overly optimistic.

So, how could someone possibly learn something from the worst year ever.  Well, for starters, it probably pales in comparison to some of the worst years in the middle ages, or earlier, especially depending on where you were from.  If you were in a land that got conquered, your people raped, killed, and sold into slavery, never to see your loved ones again - that was probably the worst year ever for you. But, we aren't in those eras.  We are in a modern era with modern technology that allows us to stay interconnected in ways people couldn't during the bubonic plague. 

So, what could be learned from a year where we are forced to rely more on that technology, a year where people have to go out with caution, so they don't contract an illness that very little is known about? Yeah, we've had almost a year to deal with this, and most people who get COVID recover fully from it - but what about long-term effects?  It's too soon to know how it will effect you a year from now, 10 years from now, 20... you get the idea.  In other diseases, such as Lyme, many of these long-term effects don't show up until years later.  So who knows what could happen years from now.

Well, here's what I've learned.  I learned that I have an inner strength I never knew existed.  Teaching is hard.  Teaching online during a pandemic is a thousand times harder.  And no, I'm not exaggerating. It's exhausting, and takes a great deal more time to plan than in person teaching.  Then, there's internet issues, device issues, and countless other technical concerns that make it hard to teach and learn online.  Imagine trying to teach a student who is a visual learner when your screen keeps freezing on their end.  Or a student who needs to hear your voice and it keeps glitching on them.  But, aren't we in the 21st century, didn't our leaders and scientists promise reliable internet for everyone?  Well, yeah, they did, but sadly, it doesn't work that way.  Even if, by some miracle, they could make it affordable for every individual (which they can't), Mother Nature is still a force to be reckoned with.  Internet doesn't work so well when there is a power outage and the device they are using needs to be recharged. 

So, how does that translate to inner strength?  I had to learn to persevere through those technical glitches, through my exhaustion, my frustration, and my own emotional turmoil to help my students.  They need me and rely on me to be a constant in their uncertain world.  

Adaptation is another.  I've always considered myself adaptable, but this year pushed that to the extreme.  This year forced us to adapt to uncomfortable circumstances, forced us to find new ways to socialize, teach, and conduct day to day stuff.  If you didn't adapt to these things, you are probably right, 2020 was probably the worst year of your life.  But, I suspect that you did adapt and change as needed, or you wouldn't still be here.  

Patience.  Patience.  Patience.  I've always had a great deal of patience, but this year, my art of patience was put to good use.  I don't know what it's like in other states to conduct business with contractors, the county, the state, etc.  But, in New Mexico, in a non-covid world, things take FOREVER.  I mean that literally.  There is a reason why this state is sometimes referred to by locals as The Land of Mañana.  Things don't happen fast here.  But with COVID, things take even longer.  I don't mean like a day or two longer, or even a week or two longer, I mean months and months longer.  The electricity at our property should've been completed by early June at the latest in a normal year.  We are still not fully powered out there, though things are much closer than they were a month or so ago.  But, paperwork got lost, misfiled.  Schedules were incompatible with other people's schedules and filling a trench without equipment to borrow or someone to hire is time consuming. 

 Then add standing in line to do just about anything when businesses are only allowed limited capacities.  Yes, sometimes you get lucky and get to walk right in, but most of the time, that is not the case.  Better hope you have your phone with you to keep you occupied.  Or are very good at discreet people watching, or you are going to be bored out of your mind. 

Which brings me to another point, masks.  Guys, really?  Mask wearing doesn't make it less obvious you are oggling... it makes it more obvious, far more obvious.  Tone it down some, please.  Just a tad.  Thanks. 

I also learned this year that I have more time than I give myself credit for.  I can do all the things I want - the writing, the reading, the working at my property, I just needed to learn to manage my time better.  This year taught me that.  Trying to teach 10 students in 1 day, while working around their other online schedules, and still have a life outside of teaching online all day, sort of forces you to realize that.  This made me realize just how precious my little bit of free-time really is when I'm not tethered to my computer.  And, just how much I can actually accomplish in those little bits of me-time. 

Self-Reflection.  I did a lot of that this year.  And, I realized that things are going pretty good for me overall.  Sure, I can't go out of town for an overnight mini vacation, but I can reconnect with my family better.  I can understand myself better, and I can understand what my stress triggers are better.  I feel far more in-tune with myself and my surroundings than I ever did before, and I relearned my connection to nature is incredibly strong. Things I forgot in a pre-covid world.

So, what did 2020 teach you?