It’s been a week of goodbyes…on Monday I said goodbye to my 30s and on Thursday we said goodbye to 2020. I remember dreading turning 30, I was still finishing up my last year of residency, Leighton was a toddler and I felt like all I’d done for my whole life was go to school and train…and pretty much that was the case. I made up a lot of ground in my 30s….we bought and sold a house and bought our current house, now have 5 crazy kiddos that we homeschool (even before that was what everyone had to do), I run a ton (nearly 1350 miles this year), hike and backpack, and love where I work. Clint and I celebrated 15 years married this past year and I’m looking for many more years by his side. I didn’t really dread 40 this year, I don’t feel 40 and I still get asked by many of my patients if I’m old enough to be their doctor…so minus a couple gray hairs I don’t think I look 40. I celebrated the day by cross country skiing over 8 miles with Clint which was amazing. It was very cold but beautiful and a great way to start a new decade.
And 2020 was nothing like any of us anticipated. It’s been a hard year. Normally I have a list of goals and dreams for the next year and this year not so much. I think I’m pretty beat up and tired from all that 2020 threw at us. And yet despite the battle of the year there were many good things. We got a lot of time together as a family, we had some fun adventures, we all made mask wearing look good, and I saw my colleagues day in and day out go into battle for peoples lives on the front line like never before. And through it all God is still on His thrown. In the midst of all the unknowns and scary things there were many times that I just had to cling to that truth. It has been a year with a lot of loss and hurt and my heart breaks over all the hurt in this world.
And so while it’s been a week of goodbyes, it has also been a week of hellos, hello to a new decade and all the memories that will be made, and also hello to a New Year….and while starting out it doesn’t look a whole lot different I think by the end we are going to appreciate each others smiles in a new way and hugs are going to mean a whole lot more.
Hiking Mommy 