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Goodbye 2020

What can be said that already hasn't been said about this year?

2020 was supposed to be something. It was to be a year where people all over kicked ass and took names and succeeded in everything they did. A kind of, “new hope” so to speak.

Yet here we are…

I can't think of a year where so much was taken from everyone. Ever. I have seen a lot of wins though from people. It's those small wins that add up to make the blow that is 2020 a lot more bearable.

So as I say good bye to a horrible year (not my worst ever but pretty damn close) and leave a sliver of hope that 2021 is going to be somewhat better (yet it seems like 2021 is the sequel to 2020) I am going to leave 2020 defiantly as only I know how with some gratitude.

So here are some of the things I am grateful for in 2020 that happened along the way.

  1. Spoke at BarCamp Philly.
  2. Wrote an article for CSS-Tricks.
  3. Self-published a zine.
  4. Started writing an autobiography.
  5. Joined the W3C
  6. Started a podcast.

Those were just some of the things I am grateful about that happened during 2020. I am grateful for the support of friends, especially those on Twitter, and for the support when things were at their low regarding the miserable job hunt I was on.

I've since stopped the job hunt for the most part. I had a few resumes out there but for the most part, I decided to focus my time and energy on things other than looking for a job. The tech hiring process (the few times I had gone through it) is exhaustive. The amount of ghosting and no-contacts is appalling. The amount of rejection emails shortly after (an hour tops) was frighteningly fast and stupid.

What will 2021 bring us? I'm thinking more of the same every time I read the news unfortunately. Things arent going to change once the clock strikes midnight and certainly things in the US will not change because half the population can't seem to grasp the importance of nailing down this pandemic and getting back to restoring life in the US so we can walk among the outdoors without fear of dying.

I digress. 2021 I look to for hope. I look to 2021 hopeful that some way, humankind will rebound and bounce back better and a little smarter, but the past has dictated we're not going to reach that goal in my lifetime.

I will continue to support all my friends, old and new, take care of myself in ways I have never done before by taking time and stepping back from the computer, self-care, I will keep writing articles that hopefully will be published, speaking at events to get out on the circuit once we can resume travel that is far safer than what we have now, and look to keep on doing what I always have. Learn and grow.

May your 2021 be the best it can be with happiness and safety in these times.