Christmas and New Years turned out nice. Unlike Thanksgiving, we treated ourselves to having our family over. Our group only grew from three to seven, but what a difference it made! Thanksgiving gave me a sense of what it must feel like for millions. To be isolated from loved ones on not only holidays and special occasions but every day. There is no comparison of course but it does leave one melancholy and wishing for a hug from those not there. We were safe; our group ranged in age from 31 to 92 and understood the consequences all too well. It is not like we don’t see our kids regularly, but in person the conversations are at a distance and fairly short, not like gathered around a lively family table. As I write this Utah has 5,042 new cases and 25 additional deaths. I did a date check and at the beginning of the lockdown on April 2, we had 65 cases and no deaths and here we are at the beginning of 2021 trying to be semi-normal while the country is under siege. The vaccine is being rolled out at a glacial pace which doesn’t offer a great deal of optimism of getting the required two-doses before the end of 2021. Adjusting to this reality is a numbing pain-in-the-ass!

During an end of year visit to a favorite account on 12/30/20, I was informed of the suicide of an employee I worked closely with and had for years. Shock, bewilderment and grief are poor descriptors but the best I can offer of the mood. Hugs were exchanged—COVID be damned! All I can say is pray for those left behind and support suicide prevention.

On New Years Day my wife shared her one resolution for the new year, it was too genuinely show greater kindness to others. I smiled and expressed my opinion that I already thought she one of the kindest people I know. She teared up and told me she had texted a favorite niece with the hope of rebuilding their relationship that was damaged many years ago. It is a difficult chapter to describe and I wouldn’t anyway because it is her story to tell. The niece responded positively. Nice.

As my New Years birthday party was drawing to a close, I was chatting with my sis-in-law and her boyfriend/partner (seriously, how do you refer to a pair of seventy-year-old lovers that broke up fifty-years ago and got back together two years ago and are now inseparable?) and the conversation turned to age. I asked how they described their age and if it is hard to explain or even come to terms with it. They simply looked at me and said “just don’t act your age.” Hearing that made me realize my newly minted age of 66 is nothing more than a number and doesn’t define or limit me. I know 2021 will be challenging with many unknown roadblocks and potholes, but it also comes with a dose of optimism which I am choosing to guide me. Be kind 2021.