Goodbye 2020: What I Will and Won't Miss

2020 has not turned out the way I imagined, to say the least. It hasn’t turned out the way anyone has imagined probably. There have been many expected and unexpected negative points, but also many positive points for the year. As I say goodbye to 2020, I thought I would share my thoughts with all of yall.

Won’t Miss

Pandemic induced anxiety and stress

Wow, this year has been a doozy for sure. And its unsurprisingly caused a lot of extra anxiety and stress for a lot of people. On top of worrying about everyday life stuff, there’s the added worry of job security and health. There were so many times throughout the year where I was so scared that I or a family member had caught Covid and that our lives would be disrupted from it. Any little cough or feelings of lethargy would result in a trip to the doctor’s to get nose swabbed and tested for the virus, which would always end up coming back negative. I was very lucky to have retained my job throughout the year (I work for an essential business so that helped the company financial situation immensely), however, I know that many others have not been as fortunate and just know that I am thinking of all of you. It has been a unique year and I have to say that as the vaccine continues to roll out to inidviduals in 2021, I definitely won’t miss all the anxeity the pandemic has caused.

Panic buying

I’ve never seen the grocery store shelves as empty as they were during the early months of the pandemic (and I’ve lived through several hurricanes and snowstorms!). Not only were items like toilet paper, cleaning supplies, and hand sanitizer gone from shelves, but items like flour, eggs, milk, and even nutella were disappearing at rapid speeds as well. And it was all for nothing! The grocery stores didn’t close once during the pandemic- they remained faithfully open every single day (albeit with longer than usual lines). All the aggressive tendencies in people came out and witnessing people rushing into stores like its Black Friday or something just to grab bundles and bundles of toilet paper has been shocking to say the least. Won’t miss that at all!

Election

I try not to let Toast and Travel get too political because I want it to be an escape or safe haven from all the turmoil that has surrounded our country this year and in previous years. But this year there has been so much bitterness and divide in the U.S and most of it has stemmed from words and actions of our own President and subsequently the election that voted him out. I had a mini celebration when the moment occurred and I’m looking forward to 2021 where Covid can finally be taken seriously, our international relations can improve, climate change can be acknowledged again, and acts of racism can be called out.

Lack of international travel

For the first time in I really don’t know how long, I did not leave the country once during the entire year. I always try to travel to at least 3 new countries a year and this has been the first time I haven’t achieved that goal. It wasn’t due to lack of trying though! In the early months of the pandemic I still had faith that countries would open up towards the end of the year or that the pandemic would improve significantly. Sadly, those things never happened. But, I’m excited for the upcoming vaccine distribution and the eventual opportunity to start exploring our amazing world again.

Will Miss

Slow Down and Relax

I’m normally such a fast paced person (which is why life in New York City suited me so much I guess) and the pandemic has forced me to slow down and enjoy the small moments of life. Instead of having a jam packed schedule every day, I just went with the flow and did things whenever I felt like it. I didn’t schedule in time to read books, I just picked up a book whenever I felt the urge to read, which was often considering there wasn’t much else to do. I discovered new hobbies like painting greeting cards and baking; hobbies that I otherwise would have never given a chance because I love dining out, visiting museums, and hanging out with my friends too much (all things that the pandemic prevented). I’ve thoroughly enjoyed relaxing at home with my family, attending virtual church on Sunday mornings, and just taking life one day at a time.

Reading 52 Books!

There will be an upcoming post on this topic soon, but yes I did read 52 books this year! One book for every week of the year. I made this plan prior to the pandemic and had concerns on whether or not I would be able to achieve this goal because I haven’t carved out the time to read books in years. Thanks to having to quarantine for several months, however, I was able to fly through so many wonderful books. I’m still shocked I read so much during this past year!

Exploring Texas

With the ability to leave the country cut off and plane travel appearing to be dangerous, I ended up spending several weekends exploring my own home state and going on road trips across Texas. I was so surprised at how many amazing places are within driving distance of Houston that I had never heard about before or given a chance to. Normally, heading to Fredericksburg, Texas for a wine trail wouldn’t be as exciting as flying to Napa Valley in California for a slew of wine tastings, but with driving as my only option I discovered that places like Fredericksburg have their own charm as well. From Fredericksburg to Dripping Springs to Fort Worth, I have been loving the opportunity to explore Texas. And I have several more trips planned for 2021! Look forward to posts about Boerne and Wimberley as well!

Working from Home

I’ve never worked a job where remote work was the status quo so to switch from showing up to the office daily and having plenty of face time with my coworkers to setting up my office in my room and meeting coworkers virtually was a shock in the beginning. Working from home took some getting use to (there are so many more distractions at home!), but now that I’ve been at home for about 9 months now I love it! I use to commute an hour to and from work so saving 2 hours of my day from commute and the scary Houston traffic has been the greatest gift of all (lol). Having flexibility to take care of errands and house related chores has been nice as well- I’m able to use my lunch hour or free time to buy groceries, mail letters, and start a load of laundry. Things I could never do before when working in an office!

Saving My $$$

I was so lucky to not have any rent during these past few months as I continued to live with my parents. That multiplied with not being able to go out and spend money on restaurant dining, birthday parties, and travel let me save even more money. Now that 2021 is heading back to normal I’m so excited to be able to have the funds for a few international trips that otherwise might be too luxurious for me (hello Olympics in Japan and World Expo in Dubai!).

Final Thoughts

2020 has had its uncertainties, but one thing that I’m most grateful for is all of you. Working on this blog, dreaming up blog posts, being creative, and seeing my readership count increase has been a dream come true for me and I am so thankful for every single one of my readers who join me in all of my adventures. When the pandemic first started and it became clear that travel would not be an option for a while, I was worried on how I would continue to create content for Toast and Travel. After all, the main premise of this blog is travel! However, the unexpected challenged allowed me to think outside the box and really find different ways to share my love of travel. Thank you for listening to me and adventuring with me!