How did 2020 work out for you?

[Karin1984]

I don’t know whether to like posts or react with the sad face to most of these, so just know I’m celebrating the highs with you and sending virtual hugs for the lows.

Disboards, can we get a caring reaction in 2021? Pretty please!

Might I suggest a heart emoji?
It's what we have in the Weight Watchers App-community. It can mean everything from like and love a message to send compassion.

 

[design_mom]

There were definitely ups and downs, but overall we didn't have anything catastrophic happen in 2020 so we have a lot to be grateful about.

My sister and I always make a yearly calendar for my mom with photos from the previous year. I said to my sister "I don't know that I have many pictures to contribute. It hasn't been a very photo-worthy year." My sister said she felt the same... but once we'd gathered all of our pictures, it was nice to see that we did manage to have some fun and good times in 2020. It was nice to see the pictures all together.

 

[mousefan73]

I gave it a 3.. Only because I know it can get tons worse. We are grateful that we had no family death/losses, major illness or actual loss of job.


Mine sucked as I am furloughed with still the real fear losing my airline job has the potential to be a real thing. Been not working since April. Not being in the office, seeing colleague now at month 9 is starting to take a toll. It's hard seeing my mom, whose only expenditure and material joy in life is traveling. She is getting older, now has some minor health isssues, so each month of not being able to travel really is valuable time. We had our once in a lifetime Disney Hawaii cruise cancelled. We did rebook for the 2022 sailing but she is getting nervous as she will age 2 more years.

And its hard seeing industries through no fault of their own being destroyed.

 

[holden]

My year was easily the worst year I've ever had. It can only get better from here.

 

[dvcgirl67]

I gave 2020 a "3". I wouldn't say it was the "worst year ever" because things could have been much worse. But it was a difficult year and a very stressful one.

The good things are that we didn't get Covid, and even though my business was hit hard and won't return to normal until people start commuting and traveling again, my DH's job ended up being fine (and we were worried initially). He even got his bonus, a raise, stock grant...etc. Our retirement portfolio certainly had a good year.

I came into this being a pretty good cook, and now I'm definitely a better one. Lots of practice. I started a garden and loved it...hadn't had one in over 15 years. My back yard looks the best it's ever looked. My three dogs were pretty psyched all year....they've never been walked more.

But....it has been an incredibly stressful and heavy year. My business isn't just me....I have six people who work for me and I have only been able to bring back two of them, and only part-time...and they were my full-timers. My other four people won't be needed for months and months. Not only did we worry about getting this virus, but we were very, very concerned for our parents, in their late 70s-80s. We're still very worried for them, especially my father who is very compromised and my MIL who is frail and has had a couple of recent hospitalizations. We haven't been in our parents' homes since this started and now it's too cold to spend any time outdoors.

Our social life has suffered for sure. And we come out of this whole thing thinking a bit less of some of our extended family members and some of our friends. I'm hoping some of that fades with time. We did not travel during this whole time. A big bucket-list trip to South Africa got canceled. We were within the 90 day mark and so the land portion of our tour was not refundable. Hoping to be able to take that trip later this year....it's a lot of money. We haven't eaten out...at all. No concerts. No last minute trips into the city to see a show on broadway. Our lives got smaller for sure.

And big-picture stuff, I am personally just so disappointed in how our country couldn't come together to fight this thing, no matter what you believe. It's the most disappointed I've ever been in our country. I'm not hopeful at all that it will go any better if this happens again in the future.

The only solace I will take away from this nightmare is that my house will be more prepared.....we won't go full "prepper" mode, but we will always have N95 masks, surgical masks, hand sanitizer, toilet paper of course...and a supply of food that I can rotate....etc. We were able to quickly get what we needed in late February before things got nuts in March, but I'll be happier knowing that my basement is stocked.

 

[OHmomof2]

Not the greatest, but not the worst!

 

[Mrs. Ciz]

I gave 2020 a "3". I wouldn't say it was the "worst year ever" because things could have been much worse. But it was a difficult year and a very stressful one.

The good things are that we didn't get Covid, and even though my business was hit hard and won't return to normal until people start commuting and traveling again, my DH's job ended up being fine (and we were worried initially). He even got his bonus, a raise, stock grant...etc. Our retirement portfolio certainly had a good year.

I came into this being a pretty good cook, and now I'm definitely a better one. Lots of practice. I started a garden and loved it...hadn't had one in over 15 years. My back yard looks the best it's ever looked. My three dogs were pretty psyched all year....they've never been walked more.

But....it has been an incredibly stressful and heavy year. My business isn't just me....I have six people who work for me and I have only been able to bring back two of them, and only part-time...and they were my full-timers. My other four people won't be needed for months and months. Not only did we worry about getting this virus, but we were very, very concerned for our parents, in their late 70s-80s. We're still very worried for them, especially my father who is very compromised and my MIL who is frail and has had a couple of recent hospitalizations. We haven't been in our parents' homes since this started and now it's too cold to spend any time outdoors.

Our social life has suffered for sure. And we come out of this whole thing thinking a bit less of some of our extended family members and some of our friends. I'm hoping some of that fades with time. We did not travel during this whole time. A big bucket-list trip to South Africa got canceled. We were within the 90 day mark and so the land portion of our tour was not refundable. Hoping to be able to take that trip later this year....it's a lot of money. We haven't eaten out...at all. No concerts. No last minute trips into the city to see a show on broadway. Our lives got smaller for sure.

And big-picture stuff, I am personally just so disappointed in how our country couldn't come together to fight this thing, no matter what you believe. It's the most disappointed I've ever been in our country. I'm not hopeful at all that it will go any better if this happens again in the future.

The only solace I will take away from this nightmare is that my house will be more prepared.....we won't go full "prepper" mode, but we will always have N95 masks, surgical masks, hand sanitizer, toilet paper of course...and a supply of food that I can rotate....etc. We were able to quickly get what we needed in late February before things got nuts in March, but I'll be happier knowing that my basement is stocked.

I hope you get to do your bucket list South Africa trip either this year or next year. Don’t give up on it! I had wanted to take my husband and 2 kids on safari in SA for years. I scraped and saved and budgeted and planned for years. I finally had almost enough money to start booking things in 2018 for a 2019 trip. I had to do it by 2019 when my oldest graduated from college and before he started his job. In the end, the flights were quite a bit more than I’d budgeted for, but that’s what credit cards are for, so we did the trip in 2019 anyway. It took me a few months to pay off the extra expense, but I’m so glad we got it in in 2019 and didn’t wait.

You will love your trip!!! I can’t wait to hear about it after you eventually go.

 

[dvcgirl67]

I hope you get to do your bucket list South Africa trip either this year or next year. Don’t give up on it! I had wanted to take my husband and 2 kids on safari in SA for years. I scraped and saved and budgeted and planned for years. I finally had almost enough money to start booking things in 2018 for a 2019 trip. I had to do it by 2019 when my oldest graduated from college and before he started his job. In the end, the flights were quite a bit more than I’d budgeted for, but that’s what credit cards are for, so we did the trip in 2019 anyway. It took me a few months to pay off the extra expense, but I’m so glad we got it in in 2019 and didn’t wait.

You will love your trip!!! I can’t wait to hear about it after you eventually go.

That's great! This was a big one for us. We normally take one two week international trip per year, but we skipped a big trip in 2019 and did a one week trip to Mexico.... because this was going to be epic. We were soooooo excited for this trip. This has been a dream of mine since I was a little girl, and DH was super psyched too. I booked it through a small agency that specializes in private guided tours. We had such a lovely trip planned....4 nights in Cape Town, 2 nights in the Winelands, and then 8 nights at two 5 star lodges in the Sabi Sands...one night in would have been in one of their tree houses.

In all of this mess, I've actually become a kind of "pen pal" with our travel advisor, who has been amazing. She lives in SA and so it's been really interesting to hear what is happening there and vice versa for her. They're having a rough go of it again there due to their own variant strain. I hope to be able to go and help their economy later this year!!

 

[Mrs. Ciz]

That's great! This was a big one for us. We normally take one two week international trip per year, but we skipped a big trip in 2019 and did a one week trip to Mexico.... because this was going to be epic. We were soooooo excited for this trip. This has been a dream of mine since I was a little girl, and DH was super psyched too. I booked it through a small agency that specializes in private guided tours. We had such a lovely trip planned....4 nights in Cape Town, 2 nights in the Winelands, and then 8 nights at two 5 star lodges in the Sabi Sands...one night in would have been in one of their tree houses.

In all of this mess, I've actually become a kind of "pen pal" with our travel advisor, who has been amazing. She lives in SA and so it's been really interesting to hear what is happening there and vice versa for her. They're having a rough go of it again there due to their own variant strain. I hope to be able to go and help their economy later this year!!

Your itinerary sounds awesome!!! Our trip had a pretty tight budget, so we only visited the Greater Kruger Area and Johannesburg in SA. We started our trip with a 3 day layover in London for some sightseeing. Here is a link to my trip report if you are interested. You need to scroll down to find it.
https://www.disboards.com/threads/i...first-page-for-addl-details.3729982/page-2830

 

[dvcgirl67]

Your itinerary sounds awesome!!! Our trip had a pretty tight budget, so we only visited the Greater Kruger Area and Johannesburg in SA. We started our trip with a 3 day layover in London for some sightseeing. Here is a link to my trip report if you are interested. You need to scroll down to find it.
https://www.disboards.com/threads/i...first-page-for-addl-details.3729982/page-2830

Oh cool...thx so much, I'm going to definitely check it out!

 

[a1tinkfans]

I said a 6. Basically in since last March, travel and vacations of course were all canceled, wearing a mask stinks( but we follow All protocols) Not seeing My elderly parent ( who lives across the country) and other family has been awful, But.... We welcomed a Healthy new niece, a new routine emerged: FaceTiming my Parent every single day, has become a true bonding experience... the chance to have real, uninterrupted conversations, reminiscing about early years of my siblings and “ seeing” each other has been great, my Sis did a Zoom wedding rather than cancel and it was Awesome! Everyone in the immediate family is Healthy and Covid free ( my parent tested and found out he has Antibodies... thought that passing head stuff was a bad head cold!) so Blessed.. so a 6! This too shall pass.

 

[tcufrog]

This year started great with us returning from a wonderful trip to Costa Rica and throwing a fun Harry Potter themed birthday party for DS9. I first got an inkling that this year wouldn't continue on that trajectory when we were at the birthday dinner for my older son and got a call from the owner of the residential care facility that we had 30 minutes to make it to the home so we could see my dad before her facility was put under lockdown by the state because of COVID. My mom couldn't come because she was at a rehabilitation facility recovering from being in the hospital for the flu. We weren't given a warning by her facility.

After that, my father and mother were in and out of the hospital with me unable to manage their care properly since I couldn't go to the hospital. My father died in August without us being able to say goodbye. The only reason my mom got to see him before he died was because she was in the hospital on the same floor as my father before he was transferred to a hospice facility. The nurses were kind enough to make sure they could spend some time together. My dad's funeral was over Zoom.

 

[Mrs.Reese]

Mixed bag here. We didn't lose any income thankfully but we have had some medical set-backs in the family,

1) Mother-in-law had a heart attack resulting in two stents and a pacemaker. She still walks with a cane 9 months later.

2) Both of my parents had COVID. Mom spent a week in the hospital but Dad recovered quickly. Mom is good now.

3) Brother fell off a ladder at work, broke his back and needed two back surgeries. He's recovering well but has a long way to go.

4) Father-in-Law fell, broke his hip and is still in the ICU. Oxygen levels can not seem to stay above 95% without a B-Pap and he is not profusing. I'm starting to think he may never leave the ICU based on the chart notes. (We are also consequently down to 1 ICU bed in my county).

The kids are healthy. I have a roof over my head and our cars work well.

I'm unfortunately a teacher trying to figure out what hybrid teaching is supposed to be or do and I'm BEYOND frustrated. Our case numbers are SKYROCKETING here and our idiot governor will in no way consider allowing schools to go full remote. My son and I have both had to quarantine once already this school year.

Nope. I've changed my mind. This has been one poop of a year.

 

[Heather07438]

1 out of 4 people here had a better than average year.

So far 122 votes, roughly-

1-2: 20% - 25 votes
3-5: 52% - 64 votes
6-8: 25% - 30 votes

9-10 only got 3 votes, a bit over 2%

 

[disykat]

I picked 1, worst year ever, because it has been MY worst year. That said, I'm really thankful that this was my worst because I can't really complain considering. I've watched a lot of tv, I've gained 20 pounds, I haven't seen much of family, but I'm still okay overall. We are fine financially. If this is the worst I've experienced, I'm pretty fortunate!

January and February were good. In March, just as things were escalating I spent 8 hours on hold trying to cancel our trip to Hawaii the next day. First real vacation in four years because of being first line of defense for my elderly parents. (Now possible because my sister just retired.) We were supposed to go on March 12th and were back and forth on whether to cancel until found out on the 11th that shut down was happening on the 13th. Obviously we cancelled immediately. (We got all our money back except a few small deposits we did not request back in order to support those vendors.) Still, I'm thankful I had the fun of planning that trip and look forward to doing it some day in the future.

My part time job shut down and I am still not back to work. They have no current plans to call back per diem employees. I had hoped to work per diem (around my schedule with my parents) for the next few years so it was the perfect job.

I had been spending 10+ days a month in another state with my parents and that stopped immediately as their place was put in lock down. Mom and Dad really struggled, not seeing each other due to living in different care levels and both had increasing health issues. With thankfully help from my sister, I had to negotiate a move for my mom from assisted living to join my dad in memory care, all without stepping foot in either place. (Furniture, packing, unpacking, utilities hookups, etc. as well as trying to be mom's emotional support all had to be done by vendors while we facilitated, masked, from the parking lot.)

In the summer I was finally able to go and have outside visits with my parents, but in August l started a 6 week exacerbation of vertigo. Still haven't tied down a reason. By the time I was able to drive to visit again, they had shut down outside visits. (I last saw them at the end of July.)

In early November, despite following all precautions, probably because I was vulnerable from the vertigo issue, I contracted a weird respiratory virus. I have had several negative COVID tests, but am still struggling with a leftover cough from pneumonia I developed as well as fatigue and a rash. Again, I was not severely ill and never in danger, but a significant enough issue that I really haven't left the house since and am working at getting my energy levels back to par.

Missing in person holidays with my young adult kids and our extended family. Unable to help when a friend and a family member had health crisis's and unable to go down when Dad had a hospitalization due to my cough. We had planned to do a big 30th wedding anniversary trip with the kids and their significant others over Christmas vacation, but had eliminated that while it was still in the early planning stages. As you can see in my signature we did WDW for our honeymoon and have taken the kids every 10 years and hope to do so indefinitely. We're hoping for next year.

It's been kind of cathartic writing this out. Like I said, I honestly feel very fortunate that this is my worst year. I've had a charmed life. We're all healthy. Mom and Dad are still living and hopefully I will see them before too long. They both stabilized quite a bit once they were together again. We've had good things like getting some home improvement projects and organizing done. Our finances our good because DH's job has not been affected. Our church is still thriving with online and safe services. I'm happy with the election results. All of our close friends and family are now doing well. I'm feeling optimistic about the upcoming year.

 

[Heather07438]

sorry, DH posted this morning by accident. Thought he was on the count down thread.

 

[Heather07438]

same lol. Sorry

 

[Mysterian]

I was fortunate that my current job enabled me to keep working through the pandemic. Though COVID put a damper not just on simple 2020 plans but possibly 2021 plans as well. Including one particular goal that may be permanently squashed.

COVID aside, it's been an interesting year because I was beginning a lot of changes and settings goals at the end of 2019 that have continued onward. Ups and downs, the bigger the ambitions, the bigger the self-doubts. I'm looking forward to 2021.

 

[WDWEPCOT]

I’ve had other Major life events happen in other years - one year was bad - but 2020 just seemed to be one long depression - so many sick and so many people died - people I know- so many lost jobs - people in my house - to go back to work - and be out again - the constant worry - add all that on top of every day life - then having to find toilet paper because Your Out if it and so are the stores - or cleaning supplies - or meat - or soda - fighting to get your money back from cancelled travel - just constant struggles for little everyday things
Dealing with everyone on edge and stressed because they too are worried
Every time someone just sneezes - it’s like do you HAVE iT?
Seeing so many people lose so much - business close - no travel - but most the constant fighting by me over wearing a mask.
it’s bad enough with enough stress but it seems we have found ways to add more stress to it.
I think everyone just needs a vacation ! Haa haa I know I do
It was a long draining year - I am wishing for everyone blessing in 2021 I hope it is much much better. I hope the shot works I’m really sad to keep hearing about all the deaths and the poor health workers !!!

 

[Cheburashka]

It was not a good year overall, but I've been through worse on a personal level, unfortunately. But seeing and experiencing what happened to my country as a result of a politicized pandemic (the timing couldn't have been worse, during a contentious election year) has been shocking and disheartening. It forced me to reevaluate my perspective on many political issues, to the extent that I now belong to the opposite political party than I used to.