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The Year of Disappointment



Where I live there is a section of town called Nye Beach. In the summertime it is a place packed with tourists. Even in the winter it is bustling with activity. The local residents have many reasons to spend time there: restaurants and pubs that cater to a wide variety of palates, the Performing Arts Center, parks and of course, the beach. Yesterday, I took the above photo, and it was a bit sobering.

I have been avoiding talking about the pandemic in my blog. I figured, there is enough talk and news about that for anyone. But then I realized that this is a seminal event in our history. The world is now a different place than it was a couple of months ago. I should talk about it as long as I don’t wallow in it.  In fact, I think I missed a bet by not journaling about this from the beginning. It would be interesting to look back on those journal entries at some point in the future and see what I was seeing and feeling. But I didn’t.

I am a fan of the University of Oregon’s basketball teams and this year both the men’s team and the women’s team won their respective Pac-12 championship games. The women in particular were ranked number 2 in the nation and seemed on a collision course with South Carolina for the national championship game. This seemed to be their year! A week later the tournament was cancelled. Of course, it was very disappointing to me, but then I reflected how devastating it must be to the players. My disappointment pales in comparison. Then, the players disappointment pales when compared to families who have lost loved ones to the virus. It makes you realize that you need to not worry about the small stuff. And most of the stuff we tend to worry about is small stuff.

2020 is the year of disappointment. Everyone, I don’t care who you are, has something to be disappointed about. School is over. Sports are over. Theater, movies, parties: not going to happen for a while. Even someone like me (who is fortunate not to have lost his job and is still working a more-or-less normal schedule, and has a spouse to keep me company) has things to be disappointed about. We can’t visit family and friends; we are mostly stuck at home. Some people have far greater disappointment and loss than me, but all are affected. No one in our country has gone through this without losing something, and some have lost everything.

Those of us who haven’t lost everything need to be mindful of what we have. We need to be grateful for the things that will keep us going, keep us motivated, keep us entertained and occupied. Be grateful you have a roof over your head; not everyone does. Be grateful if you have family; not everyone does. Be grateful for all the little things that make life bearable. This pandemic will last a while, but it won’t last forever. We all just need to bite the bullet, and do what needs to be done.

And remind ourselves to be grateful.

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