See, most of us expected 2021 to be the year when things went back to normal, and in many respects they have, at least partially. That's part of the problem. 2021 has been called "2020 part 2," in that we still face many of the same problems with pandemic restrictions, supply chain issues, etc. but at the same time life seems just normal enough to ignore it. The result is that I've found myself simply waiting for 2021 to go by, anticipating some mythical moment when things will snap back to how they used to be. Between reflecting on 2020 and looking forward to a future that hasn't arrived, 2021 just kind of...existed. In the midst of this, I found myself asking a rather startling question: what did I even do this year?
When I started writing things down, it looked a little better. Here are a handful of highlights:
1. I got a job as a graphic designer for the university's Risk Management department. That was a big departure from the jobs I've previously held, being my first experience in an actual office. (Office jobs are so weird... people just randomly bring in doughnuts sometimes? What is this?) The job has turned out to be a great fit; graphics and media have been hobbies of mine for a long time, but getting paid to do it seemed like an impossibility in a place where most graphics jobs are snatched up by graphic design majors. But here I am, the mechanical engineer making animated safety training videos.
2. I got scuba certified! Well, again. Technically I was first certified at age twelve, but I hadn't been diving in ten years, so I was more than happy to take the class alongside two of my roommates. The three of us had a great time together, and one of the instructors turned out to be a good friend of mine from the swim team in high school! The world really is small.
3. I got a great start on a novel manuscript I started planning way back in 2016. I made the most of my train commute to work during the summer, and now have about a quarter of the book done.
4. I finally did a photoshop project just for the heck of it, for the first time since 2020. Nothing too fancy, just a couple hours effort and a lot of fun for the Halloween season.
This is far from an exhaustive list, but it's nice to know that even in the Lost Year of 2021, things are still happening. I often have to remind myself that every day can be something memorable, as long as we make something out of it.
Hic Manebimus Optime!
