Updates
Several weeks ago, I posted a request for questions to answer in the Coffee With Dragons VIP Break Room. I'll be answering them for a while, from the look of it! The first question comes from Allen Brokken: How is 2020 different than you thought it would be when you were 20? Or what you thought it would be on January 1?
When I was 20, I don't think I gave 2020 a thought. That was decades ago, and I was planning my wedding. If you'd asked me specifically, I'm pretty sure I'd have said we'd all have Rosie the Robot. I'm a little perturbed that we don't. And don't tell me we do, it's just called Roomba. When they come out with a Roomba that does laundry, dishes, and cleans up cat vomit instead of spreading it around, then maybe I'll be interested.
There's a lot about my life that looks like I thought it would on January 1. I wanted to be mostly settled in my house and spending a lot of time working. I wanted to see my kids a lot. So far, that's happened. Of course I don't think anyone saw a global pandemic and protests coming. The protests were in the realm of possibility because they always are, but it's not something I think about on a daily basis. The pandemic and the fallout? That was a plot twist I didn't see coming.
The biggest personal plot twist would be how 2020 looked to me a year ago. Last summer, we were living just outside of Chicago, thinking we would be there another 10-12 years. I was working for our church and making the best of a situation that was far from ideal for both of us. We were 5 hours from our kids and my parents. Being halfway between them was one of the few perks. While I was happy to be done with apartment life and to have a little patch of yard (which was lovely but pretty high maintenance), we had discovered quickly that urban life wasn't for us.
About a year ago, I made a conscious attitude adjustment to stop seeing the things I disliked about living in a densely populated area, and start seeing the things I would miss when we were finally able to leave. I started doing the things I would regret not doing, like visiting the Field Museum more, and walking to a coffee shop to work. A year ago I lived in blissful ignorance that Eric would get laid off without warning on October 2, or that Christmas would see us living within half an hour of our kids in a beautiful, quiet area. I sometimes wonder if we'd have gotten here sooner if I'd adjusted my attitude earlier, but I suspect the timing was exactly what it needed to be.
If you have a question you want answered, you can comment on the Facebook post or here on the blog, or you can email me at coffeewithdragons2020@gmail.com.
Until next time, enjoy your coffee!