Reflection Day, 2020

In the Exinger household, tomorrow is “Reflection Day.”  It’s a holiday we created a number of years ago because, well, why not?  Traditions have to start sometime.

We’ve modified it over the years.  In the beginning we used to take breakfast as a time to look back, lunch as a time to enjoy today, and the evening meal (or tons of snacks) to look forward to the coming new year.  At some point we learned about the “Happiness Jar” concept (also known as “Good Things” or “Memories” jars), so we just that right after breakfast (we still do tons of snacks at night, but this way there’s more room on the table for the snacks).

Throughout the year we write little notes and stick them in the Cookie Jar by the front door.  These notes occur every time we complete a project or do something “good” worth remembering.  At the end of the year, we can read ‘em all and reflect on just how much we accomplished the previous year, and then we look forward to doing more, different things in the year to come.  And eat snacks.

Even though 2020 was a total clusterfuck of a shitstorm year, I am looking forward to reading all those notes tomorrow.  I took a peek earlier today (because I was adding two notes), and there’s a LOT of stuff in there.  Of course, one of the notes I added today was “SURVIVED COVID” (I feel fine right now and we’re not leaving the house for a few days, so this should remain an accomplishment.  I hope.)

The thing is there’s plenty more notes in there.  I can recall a few of them (my writing accomplishments, including this blog, for one).  There’s all the work we did in the garden, the fact that I lost more weight (down to 188 now – I haven’t weighed that “much” since 10^th grade), and some other projects we completed in and out of the house. 

Part of the fun in opening up the jar is to discover all of the activities over the last year that we can’t remember.  That’s why we do it.  It helps so that we can “give ourselves credit” for these accomplishments, and it spurs us on to do more. 

COVID notwithstanding, for us it was a good year.  And things are looking brighter for next year – Biden and Harris take office in about three weeks, the vaccine is underway (but too slowly, thanks to you-know-who), and eventually the stain of Trumpism will wear off some (though sadly, not completely). 

I hope that you and yours can also reflect on the past, take the good from it where you can, and everyone – let’s ALL have a much better 2021.