Time to review the last year! And no, this is not going to just be me griping about all of the stuff that I missed, that got cancelled, that I was unable to enjoy because of the pandemic. Because here's my big first world problem about 2020: I came out ahead. Even though my precious conventions were cancelled, I gained so much that it ended up a net positive. Allow me to explain.
Okay, I know I said this wasn't going to be a gripe post, but I will gripe a little bit. Because conventions are one of my favorite things on the planet. I make a lot of friends there, I have fun experiences, I spend money on things that I don't "need" but I NEED THIS THING RIGHT NOW. And yes I want my conventions back. I want to wear my costumes that I love building. I want Renaissance fairs. I want meetups. I want concerts. I want plays.
But there's something weird about this year. Because it has required more effort, I have socialized just as much if not more than I normally would have in this last year. And here's how I somehow managed it.
1. This is something that is kind of dumb luck. I have two friends who live in the same apartment complex as me. We each live alone, so when the shelter in place went down in March, I declared us a family that just so happens to live in separate apartments. We are all in our 20's and otherwise healthy, so as long as we were careful otherwise, our risk to each other was minimal. Our little family was a great support to our mental health in such a stressful time. We checked up on each other, had game nights, watched movies together, and talked about normal things when we all needed a mental rest from constant COVID talk.
2. My book club. I'll write a full blog post about how it materialized, but I stared a book club in January of 2020. Part of my motivation was to have an avenue for consistent communication with my college friends. And as luck would have it, this last year was one that needed consistent communication more than any year in my memory. We've had great discussions, added new people, read good books, and enriched each other's lives. Thank you to everyone who has participated in my book club, and I hope it keeps going strong in 2021!
3. I really got pack into RPGs this year. For those of you who don't know (which is going to be most of you), RPG stands for role playing game. The most famous example of this is Dungeons & Dragons, but there are loads of other ones with different worlds and characters. An easy way to think about it is "playing pretend with more math." One person is the game master, and takes players through a story where the players make choices and roll dice to determine the outcome. Example: you come to a door, do you find a key, try to break the door, or set it on fire? You choose to set it on fire, you roll the dice to determine if the door catches fire, and to see if the monster on the other side hears you. I could go on for literal hours, but that's the basic idea. I joined a group of people doing this over a voice group chat. It's a great way to get some social interaction and fun without anyone needing to leave the house. I've played some really fun games and gotten to know some really cool people through RPGs. The creativity that some of these people have is insane, and I love it!
4. As those who follow my blog will know, my love life improved during a global pandemic. While in the depths of lockdown. I know, it's one of the least likely things to happen. But that seems to happen to me a lot. Weird stuff happens, and I make it work. I like to think of it as taking advantage of opportunities. Check out my other blog post to see the story of how I met and started dating my dear Alex. Be warned, it's kind of tooth-rottingly sweet. We're still going strong, and for the first time in my life, I went into a new year with a romantic partner. Feels good, man!
Another thing I did do this year was make a few more cosplays. I had to make myself stop because the ones that I have made have not seen a convention, and I want all of my cosplays to be seen! Building these was fun, and I'm really proud of them. It helps remind me that this won't be forever, and that there will be a tomorrow where I'll wear these. And hey, with the money I saved not attending cons, I can go to even more when they're available again! It may not be the convention scape of before, it'll be a new normal, but that's okay. We will adapt. Here are my cosplays that came into existence in 2020:
The last thing from 2020 that I want to mention in closing out the year is a lesson that I've been thinking about a lot. I have gotten some serious experience being wrong on things that I thought I had all figured out. I've had to learn how to completely change what I think on things because I was proven to be wrong. Me believing or rationalizing doesn't change facts. Examples:
Early on, I thought that the panic over this new virus was worse than the virus itself. Thousands of people dying has proven me wrong.
I thought that this would be one big wave then it would all be over. Nope. It keeps coming back.
I thought that everyone would just have to get the virus to get it over with. I'm glad I was wrong here. I haven't had a sniff, none of my friend group in Texas has had a sniff, and with the vaccine on the way, chances are I won't have to deal with it. Yessssssss!
I was so wrong on all of these things, and it was difficult to admit that. But I would rather face the discomfort of having to change my thinking than stubbornly hold on to a wrong opinion for the sake of my ego. "I was wrong" is something you are allowed to say. It does not make you less of a person, and it does not mean you are incapable of forming a good opinion, it just means that you had to adapt. And if there's one thing 2020 has forced us all to do, it's adapt.
All things considered, I can't complain too much about 2020. I seriously can't. I know, I'm annoying. I'm so flipping lucky I somehow manage to come out of one of the worst years in recent memory no worse for wear. I am grateful for this, and I have so much sympathy for those who haven't had a good year. I really hope that the next year provides a much-needed fresh start for everyone
Well, here's to another lap around the sun. For good or ill, we're all riding this planet together in 2021. Happy New Year!
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