I hope 2020 was the wake-up call we all needed. I hope it awakened all those suppressed emotions and feelings that we swept under the rug daily because of our commitments or our duties. I hope it taught us that no matter how much we plan for our lives, everything we planned for can change overnight. I hope it made us realize what’s important and what matters. I hope it pushed us to express ourselves or ask for our rights or have all these hard conversations we were always running away from. I hope it made us realize who we really want to be or what needs to change in our lives.

I hope 2020 was the lesson we all needed. I hope it taught us that we have to adapt when things aren’t going in our favor. I hope it taught us that nothing is ever guaranteed and what we thought we can never lose can be lost in the blink of an eye. I hope it taught us that some things can’t be delayed and the real issues in our lives won’t go away on their own unless we fix them.

But more than anything, I hope it made us appreciate what we already have. I hope it made us more grateful for the things we took for granted every day. I hope it made us appreciate those who were there for us and those who showered us with love when we felt all alone and helpless. I hope it made us appreciate the people who love us and appreciate the little things in life when we longed for that one cup of coffee with a friend again, that one hug, that one kiss, that one touch that made the pain go away.

I hope 2020 was the sign we all needed that something has to change, whether within or without. I hope it pushed us to take those big risks or make a big move or take a leap of faith. I hope it drove us to end unhappy relationships and move out of toxic homes and find a better career. I hope it fired us up to do all the things we were afraid to do and say all the things that we were silent about. I hope the chaos this year brought gave us the clarity we needed because sometimes when things fall apart, you see what’s beneath clearly and sometimes when you’re faced with uncertainty and doubt, you see people’s true colors.

I hope 2020 was the spiritual cleanse we all needed. I hope it reaffirmed that God is the only one in charge. That sometimes all we can do is pray. That we don’t always have the power. I hope it taught us to rely on faith to keep moving forward or keep believing or keep hoping. And I hope it was the cleanse we all needed in our own personal lives. Cleaning our energy, filtering the people in our lives, nurturing our homes and detoxing from everything that was draining us. I hope 2020 was the year we all realized that to keep on living, we must learn how to survive the unexpected changes in our lives and survive the most challenging and troubling feelings we go through.

I hope 2020 was the wake-up call we all needed that we cannot remain the same. That eventually, we will have to face whatever we were running away from and eventually, we have to make all the difficult choices and decisions we were putting off. I hope 2020 was the year we learned how to face and survive the hardest truths about ourselves and the world.