2020 Superlatives
I’ve written this blog a couple of times. The first one was entirely too sad and then it was too silly. I think the challenges I was facing was both that it’s hard to be vulnerable on the internet but it’s also hard to accurately and succinctly sum up the kind of year 2020 was. It is crazy how one year can be so unsettling and so personally uneventful at the same time. I spent the better part of it on my mom’s couch. And yet it felt like running a marathon every other day. So instead of trying neatly pull it all together, I’m just going to focus on some key moments. And I hope to make this an ongoing practice where I can reflect on these things annually.
HERE ARE MY 2020 SUPERLATIVES: THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY
Hardest Part of the Year: Being Unemployed
I hit such a low over the summer. I had just moved to a new state where I had no friends, I had no job, and I was effectively locked inside my house. All the key pieces of my identity felt stripped away. I was a person who prided herself on her ambition, success, achievements, strong relationships with her loved ones, and openness to experiences. Well, last year saw little of that. It was replaced by fear and self-loathing and guilt and shame and LOTS of talenti. With everything going on personally and in the country it was difficult to be hopeful, luckily things would improve soon (it just didn’t feel that way at the time).
Best Moment of the Year: Getting A New Job
The up to my down. There was a light at the end of the tunnel coming for me and my hard work did pay off. Not only did I get a job, but one that is challenging and fulfilling. I turned down roles along the way. I was fortunate enough to have the support of my mother who let me live with her while I was job searching and I wanted my choice to feel right and not like I was doing it out of necessity. I’m happy to say I’m now at a place where I’m valued and supported and I can’t wait to see what my future at the company has in store for me.
This was my viz on Diversity in Film at TC20-ish
Most Memorable Moment of the Year: Tableau Public Gallery
I was as honored as a person could be about having one of my vizzes in the public gallery at the Tableau Conference this year. First of all, hats off to the team that pulled it together and made it possible as it was one of the most stunning virtual experiences I’ve had. And I am so grateful to have been a part of it. Not only is it moving to be in the company of so many people I admire who are the absolute rockstars of the community, but the viz that was chosen was one I worked really, really hard on and that meant a lot to me.
Most Surprising Part of the Year: Living At Home
If you told me prior to 2020 I would be living at home for almost the entire year of me being 25 I would have LAUGHED. I love my mother dearly, I also love my independence (I hear it’s a Sagittarius thing). Mid-March when things got bad in the US I called my mom, packed up my stuff, and moved out of the state in 3 days. Everything I own fit in our two cars. She came over to California and we packed them up and drove to Arizona. I thought I would be home for maybe two months max. Ten months later I’m still here. She is a saint for putting up with me for this long but I also know she’d let me live here forever if I wanted. In a year of uncertainty and loss, the safety and comfort of her love and this house has been 2020’s saving grace.
Biggest Lesson of the Year: Don’t Let Ambition Get in the Way of Self-Care
While I was unemployed I pushed myself so hard to learn more and do better and prove, mainly to myself, that I was worthy [of hiring]. I took courses about things I wasn’t interested in and created strict schedules of what I was going to do and when. I was productive, I wasn’t happy. And things really started getting better for me once I relaxed. When I started pursuing things I was interested in I performed better and had more positive things in my life both personally and professionally. It’s still a lesson I’m working through every day though.
This is the last vacation I went on (Dec. 2019) where I try and pretend I’m at now
My Favorite Song of the Year: Heaven by Los Lonely Boys
This song feels like a vacation. I didn’t go on one this year but it’s nice to pretend. It’s been out for a couple of decades now but I can’t imagine it getting old. Also, the lyrics are fitting to the way the year felt
‘Save me from this prison
Lord, help me get away
'Cause only you can save me now from this misery
I've been lost in my own place, and I'm gettin' weary’
My Favorite Show of the Year: The West Wing
THIS SHOW HAS NO RIGHT TO BE THIS GOOD. I was five years old when this show came out so I missed it the first time around but thanks to an endorsement from Amanda Boyle I added it to my list. I thought, how much different could this show be from House of Cards? Very different, VERY different. It’s honestly everything I want from a TV show and just the binge-watch I needed this year. I still have a little over a season left and definitely have the intention of rewatching. 14/10 would recommend.
This is a picture I drew of the main character of Ratatouille around the time of my obsession
My Favorite Movie of the Year: Ratatouille
Without any exaggeration, there was a point in 2020 where I watched this movie. Every. Single. Day. And while that has definitely scaled back, I do still turn it on quite frequently. If you’ve visited the home page of my blog you already know that I love food. And I became obsessed with Remy’s determination and talent and Linguini’s clumsiness. An unlikely friendship and a simple adventure. It may not be the best-animated movie to exist but it’s the most reliably entertaining one to rewatch.
Things I’m Looking Forward To
making more vizzes - making more friends - learning new skills - growing the new initiative - writing more blogs - creating more drawings - taking more naps - cooking more food - talking to all of you
Thank you to everyone who was part of my 2020 journey and advanced thanks to those along for the 2021 ride.
