2020

2020. Those four syllables are filled with so many stories of all types of emotion. Being blunt, it was a great year for me. While true, it makes me sad to type that sentence because it was such a horrible year for others. Restaurants closed, Deaths occurred that brought Racial Injustice mainstream, people got layed off, the Olympics were postponed, healthcare workers were stretched as much as could be, the education system had to make tough decisions, organic chemists and pharmacists were under immense pressure to deliver a vaccine, and millions of people worldwide were infected with Coronavirus, creating a Pandemic, with two million of those people dying from it. Families lost loved ones.

This year opened my eyes to how my age, health, skin color, and job barely made me directly affected by one of the craziest years ever. I'm thankful for the blessings in my life, but emotionally and logically I felt on the sidelines of this year while my fellow humans were suffering. If there is something that made me mad about this year, it's that I felt like I wasn't doing enough to help. I marched once. I voted. I wore my mask (although I could have done a better job of it when around my hub of friends). I took action, but wasn't feeling the motivation that I wanted to feel. I will use the lessons I've learned from this year for good. Here are some highlights of the year we called 2020.

Highlights:

• Jan - Jacksonville with AT, Driehaus Art Museum and bars afterward, AAD, Kobe died
  
  
• Feb - AAD wrap up, indoor Volleyball, Ecuador and Panama, Ash Wednesday, Ahmaud Arbery, Buttigieg won Iowa
  
  
• Mar - Phoenix, Breonna Taylor, March Madness cancelled, Biden won Super Tuesday, Dad’s birthday over google meet
  
  
• Apr - searching for apartments, rainy, zoom happy hours, cod with bros and Casey, Keeg’s birthday over google meet, scattegories with R's over zoom/google meet, Easter, Two Popes
  
  
• May - moved apartments to Lincoln Park, start of HPL, hung out with R, George Floyd
  
  
• June - got promoted to senior analyst, street closures with outdoor seating festival vibe, Breonna Taylor, marched in downtown Lafayette
  
  
• July - fourth of July outside deck, Sunday birthday turned 26 beautiful blue sky day, family time and presents over google meet, hung out with L and friends
  
  
• Aug - Asheville with Mom, Dad, and A.T., hung out with L and friends, went to watch softball games, Saturday park volleyball, end to end for HPL
  
  
• Sep - hung out with L and C and friends, Saturday park volleyball, end to end for HPL, Sports Sunday, interruption filled first Pres debate
  
  
• Oct - HPL ended, went to LA for Keeg’s proposal to Marissa
  
  
• Nov - started Bopis phase 2, Biden won the election, got promoted to consultant, Men’s group, IU football was good, Thanksgiving at home and Keeg came too
  
  
• Dec - cod with bros and Casey, went home for Christmas, enjoyed hanging out with Mom, Dad, and AT (dinners, board games, walks at Happy Hollow and Prophetstown, watching Mass, watched IU basketball, cleaned the basement, epic Yahtzee game, Spy Alley), G walk, drive back with AT on 31st, rearranged living room

 
I pray for those we lost, and those that are still suffering. I hope that there are silver linings from this year that we can look back on. I'll continue to strive for racial justice in all facets of life, hope to continue to learn how to prevent microaggressions, and will continue to treat others the best way I can: with love, compassion, and respect.

- Brody