I can already imagine the day my future granddaughter comes home from school with the assignment to interview someone who has lived through the Corona Virus era.

I want to start off by saying, I am extremely lucky. I am in good health. My loved ones are in good health. While this pandemic has touched everyone in some way, good fortune has been on my side, and I feel like I should not complain. However, the lesson I’ve learned through therapy and podcasts and self-help books is this; Just because your problems seem less significant than other people’s problems, doesn’t mean they aren’t important. The “well other people have it worse” mentality could go on forever and ever and ever in an endless cycle.

2020 started off rough, even pre-pandemic… it was ROUGH. Within the first month, we lost my best friend’s Dad to cancer. A few weeks later my Dad had triple by-pass surgery. This placed tremendous stress and anxiety on my family. Shout out to my Uncle Dave who came from Upstate New York to sit with my family through it all and probe the hospital staff with the questions on everyone’s minds. Also, MVP award goes to my Mom who stayed by my Dad’s side through everything and took care of him in his very needy and very loopy state after the surgery.

Around the same time of my Dad’s surgery, I found out the trip to China I had planned with my business school was cancelled due to the rapid spread of a new virus…you guessed it… the coronavirus. In hindsight, my disappointment about the cancellation seems silly.

Things turned around though. I had an exciting couple of months before the pandemic exploded in the U.S. I enjoyed my senior year of college and the perks of being 21. I went on a fun yet strange spring break trip to Galveston Texas and made some new friends. I fell in love for the first time, which maybe didn’t turn out so great for me in the end, but I became a better person by learning that my cold un-feeling heart is in fact capable of vulnerability.

I graduated college with a degree in Business Management and minors in Spanish and International Business. Graduation was prime Covid time, so I did not have the celebration I expected. However, my Honors College held a Zoom ceremony that was actually pretty heartfelt, and my parents organized a day that made me feel special.

I felt blue in my hometown, so I decided to spend the summer in North Carolina with my sister, Molly, and her kids. Because Molly and I grew up in different households, this is the longest period of time we have ever spent together which was refreshing and much needed. Bonus: she took me to get my first tattoo. Although I did my fair share of moping around this summer, my adorable niece and nephew never ceased to put a smile on my face.

Flash forward to now. I have been in the Canary Islands for the past three months, doing something I have dreamed of since I was 17. I feel more myself than ever, and I have hope about what’s ahead. Even though I can not travel through Europe as I had planned, I enjoy discovering the natural wonders of the Canary Islands. My island, Fuerteventura, is one of the safest places in terms of COVID. I am able to enjoy nice weather all year round. Most restaurants and stores are open, and the Canary Islands are the only part of Spain NOT experiencing a 6 month lockdown. I could not imagine a better place to round out my 2020.

I have spent a lot of time getting to know myself, and I finally figured out what career path I want to take which puts my mind at ease and literally makes my insides jump with joy. I have had free time to explore new hobbies like writing, video editing, and even rock climbing.

I have met some of the kindest and most interesting human beings in this little part of the world. I have spent a lot of intentional time talking to my friends and family members on FaceTime. In fact, I feel like my relationships have become stronger because I reach out more than I would have pre-pandemic.

I now look forward to every day and the possibilities that await. I still have bad days, negative thoughts, and anxiety, but I am more whole than I have been in a very long time. 2020 has tested me in all types of way, and I’ve come out the other side a little stronger, a little wiser, and a little bruised. Contrary to popular belief, a new year is not a new beginning or a clean slate. I do not want to forget this year. Life is a work in progress, and the lessons learned in 2020 will propel us forward into 2021 and beyond.

Un Saludo,

Mags