Dear 2020,
You have brought the world so much pain, evil, death and darkness. All of this is hard for me to comprehend and I hate to wonder what is happening in a child’s mind.
The year started off with so much hope with great plans. I had trips lined up and plenty of dreams. But the year started making a turn for me and many others when NBA legend Kobe Bryant, his daughter and seven others were tragically killed in a helicopter crash. This celebrity death was hard as I felt like I’ve known him since he entered the NBA. It took me a while to even admit he was gone and some days I’m still like damn. He was only 41.
Moving further into the year, you drop COVID-19 which becomes a global pandemic and the country I’m living in doesn’t manage the threat of what it presents. We start seeing people dying all around us and with me most recently hearing a distant family member passing from it. The pandemic has altered and halted every aspect of life which isn’t bearable to many.
Then, you bring us heightened racial issues. Yes, I know they already existed. But now that everyone is at home with social media, everyone is seeing it. I‘m tired of seeing people who look like me getting killed for doing nothing. I’m tired.
Next, the reason why I started this letter was because of the passing of Chadwick Boseman. He was our superhero of the Black community. He was the first to see on the big screen to play a superhero that looks like us in the Black Panther. I actually cried when the movie ended at his presence. He has also played so many roles to highlight magnificent stories of other black legends such as Jackie Robinson and James Brown. He was only 43.
This year we have lost so many people from our friendly neighbors to legends like Little Richard, John Lewis, Andre Harrel and many more. From young to old. We have lost memories. We have lost seeing the world. We have lost graduations. We can't go to school. Everything has gone virtual. There has been so much loss to each person no matter how big or small it is to someone else. Yet, for so many, we still have to show up 100% (more than 100 if you are a minority) of the time in our day to day activities. Especially our jobs.
For me personally, I spent my birthday alone, lost all of my trips (travel is my therapy), shift my photography business, deal with my dog who had a seizure and other negative aspects of life. But luckily, I was still able to buy a new car, keep a job, get articles published with T+L, stay safe & healthy as well as see my family and friends stay safe & healthy.
And let me repeat, most importantly I can't hop on a plane to escape the country and day to day responsibilities as TRAVEL IS MY THERAPY.
What this year has taught me is as follows:
”Do what you love.” These are the words I hear Kobe Bryant say over and over again. He was doing just that and living in his purpose daily.
Live every day as if it was your last. Only Chadwick’s close circle knew of his cancer diagnosis in 2016. But I feel as if that diagnosis made him strive and thrive. From 2016 to 2020, he starred in nine movies. NINE.
And lastly I have to do what I can to keep myself happy.
2020 I don't know what else you have in store for us but I hope it brings us some love and brightness.
Thank you for reading from your concerned global citizen.
Kita the Explorer