I have become weary with all the memes bemoaning the year 2020. Everyone has their own perspective, I know, but when I read the memes, I instinctively recoil at the premise that this has been a year we should just write off.
To be sure, 2020 is one of unimaginable heartache, suffering, loss, challenge, and soul-searching. There is no established measure for the disruption imposed, the devastation wreaked, or humility required. There are many among us for whom we need to pray for strength, support wholeheartedly, and love incessantly.
I guess what bothers me about those 2020 memes is the implication that all is lost. While recognizing that I have been spared the worst of the times, I cannot escape the great personal fulfillment found within the chaos. I was sitting by my son when he learned to pronounce words, read sentences, and read a story. I have supported my wife as she became an online teacher. I had time to design and hand build a play set that turned out pretty darn good. I created the michaelswords.com website for my writing and this blog about purposeful life. I picked up my guitar for the first time in 10 years. I created a website for my brother’s beach place. I have had lunch nearly every day with my family. I have had time to think.
My friend David once told me, “Nothing unexpected or new happens in the day to day.” That really resonated with me. I relish change, have to be moving and doing, and crave new experiences. I tend to thrive when there is a little chaos. I sometimes create interruptions to keep things interesting or find better paths (apologies to those for whom I owe them).
The unexpected and new tend to happen in the interruptions in life by definition. But unexpected and new doesn’t necessarily mean bad. In most instances, the good is there for the taking.
I have been captivated by Ricky Gervais’ Afterlife on Netflix (To those offended by vulgar language: This is not the show for you.). His character struggles with the heinous interruption of the untimely death of his wife. Through his struggle to live on, he embraces an unfiltered honesty that forms unusual and unexpected relationships, imparts wisdom to those around him, and pushes others to open their lives.
My response to those memes is this: Even in the worst of interruptions, there is a possibility of blessings. They are there if we look for, create, and embrace them.
#purpose #purposefullife #interruption #2020 #afterlife #blessings #unexpected