This has been a year unlike any that most of us have experienced. I’m thankful for everything, even if I didn’t always like being stuck in place. (Though I liked it plenty.) That said, here are some of my highs from 2020:
An N95 mask that Krista gave me
Eating blueberry swirl ice cream with Krista (she had lemon)
Playing in the yard with Puppy
Kisses from Tesse, rubbing her belly
Sneaking blueberries to Saxa
Hugging Olympus
Walking arm-in-arm with Krista along the path at Ballito while the ocean sprayed in our faces
Planting lavender in the garden
Lockdown levels 3, 2 and 1 with Krista (level 5, not so much)
My Bean flannel sheets
Having a big beard (and looking forward to another one after I am vaccinated)
Catching up each day with Mom
Coronation chicken salad sandwiches with Krista, Pete and Sue at the South Africa/England cricket match
The Daily Mini crossword
A new eyeglass prescription that improved my vision
Thinking about the advice Dad might give me whenever I felt stressed, and feeling calmed by it
Getting three clients, up from one in 2019
Other people wearing masks and social distancing
My New Balance running shoes
Subscribing to home delivery of the Mercury, the Sunday Times (SA) and The New York Times
FaceTime with Matt
Noise-cancelling headphones
Daily walks
Listening to “Circles” by Mac Miller
Talking Congress with Andrew
Reading “Kitchen Confidential” by Anthony Bourdain
Zoom with Stacy, Dan, Maddie and Josh
The story pitches I was proud of even if they didn’t get published
Colors