Mixed Feelings about 2020

Most feel that 2020 was the worst of years

For our family, 2020 was a mixed year

2020. The thought of this past year is sad for most people. For us, it is too. But, there are also some great things that happened to our family in 2020. Feyma and I were talking about this earlier this morning, and we both agreed that 2020 was a real mix of bad and good for us.

The Bad

Covid

Of course, Covid wreaked havoc around the world in 2020, and the USA was hit very hard.

I started following the news about the Chinese disease in January of 2020 (possibly late-December 2019, I can’t remember), and I was concerned about it. I thought it would turn into a pandemic, and unfortunately, I was correct.

Around the first week of February, I got very sick. There was not much known about Coronavirus at that time, and I thought I had the flu. I had not heard of any COVID cases in the USA at that time. I was sick for the entire month of February but never went to the doctor or the hospital.

In April, ahead of an eye procedure, the eye clinic asked me to be tested for COVID. I tested positive, but I was not sick. They told me that I could test positive for up to 90 days after the illness. So, I don’t know for sure when I really had it, but I would suspect February.

Certainly many parts of the world have been hit hard by COVID.

Economic Struggles

Due to COVID, many were hit hard by financial pressures, mostly caused by COVID. This has been very bad for so many people.

In our case, COVID did not impact our financial situation in a negative way. Because Feyma, Chris, and Jared work at a meat processing facility, they have had to work a lot of overtime. The company that they work for has also been generous in terms of offering a lot of bonuses and extra pay for their workers.

Work Hazards

One of the most negative things that we have been dealing with in 2020 is that the work that Feyma and our boys do has become quite hazardous. In April, the plant where my family works had one of the biggest outbreaks of COVID in our region (by far the largest in our State of Indiana). I and two of our sons had COVID. Feyma has not been infected to this point, as far as we know.

It is a worry for me that the three of them are working in an environment that has been a breeding ground for the virus. Thankfully, both of our sons who were positive had relatively mild cases.

Lockdown

Being locked down in our homes has been a struggle for many. People have experienced problems with mental health. Many people have committed suicide. It’s very sad.

For us, those in my family are essential workers. That has allowed us to get out and around without too much of a lockdown problem. So, lockdowns have not affected our family in a very troubling way.

The Good

New House

In May we purchased a new house. We never owned a house when we lived in the Philippines, for multiple reasons which are outside the scope of this article. So, it had been over 20 years that we were renting.

When we found the house that we purchased, it was better than we ever dreamed of, and still within our budget, so it was a real Godsend for us. We are so grateful for our ability to purchase a house, and especially for the house that we ended up buying.

Our new house brings us so much joy and a feeling of peace and fulfillment. I feel so comfortable in our new place, particularly since I work out of our home and spend the vast majority of my personal time here.

Having bought this house has made 2020 a special year for us.

Settling In

We returned to the USA in 2019. The year 2019 was a year of adjustment for us. So many changes to deal with. We went for 5 months without the ability to drive. As I have written here, it was very hard for me to get a US driver’s license after being away for 20 years.

By 2020, we had worked through all of the issues about moving back, and when 2020 rolled around we were able to feel back “at home” and settle into our new environment. This is particularly true after we bought our house.

New Car

In 2019 we purchased a 2014 Ford Escape, and it was a good car for us. But, we decided it was a bit smaller than what felt comfortable to us. Also, in August we were in a traffic accident (somebody rear-ended us). A few other unfortunate things happened with the car (none were our fault), and we started feeling we were having some bad luck with the Escape. We did like the Escape a lot, though.

So, in September we purchased the big brother of the Escape… a Ford Edge. It is a 2017 model and had only 30,000 miles on it. Really top of the line with every option you can get on an Edge. We have really enjoyed taking the step up to the Edge.

So, getting into a new(er) car, was really a plus for us in 2020.

Financial

As I outlined previously, 2020 was a good year for us financially. A lot of overtime for Feyma and the boys, so earning good money. Also, so many bonuses paid this year to keep people on the job. So, it was a very good financial year for us.

We really count out blessings for our financial blessings in 2020.

Healthy

Although Chris, Jared, and I all had COVID, we are so thankful that we did not have any long term effects from the virus. We all got back to wellness and feel quite healthy at this point. Feyma was never sick in 2020, so that is very good.

A mixed year

So, as you can see, 2020 was not a horrific year for us. We experienced good and bad. I would say that primarily it was a good year for us personally. However, we also have friends who experienced the worst of COVID, and of course, that was something that was difficult for us to see and experience.

I hope that 2020 was not too horrific for those of you who are reading this. And, I hope that 2021 will bring the best to all of us and that COVID will become less present in our lives.

Happy New Year everybody!