20 Lessons Learned in 2020 (Part 1)

As a follow up to a previous post, I thought I'd take a look back at the year 2020 and see what I might have learned in what turned out to be a pretty crazy year. I am looking for twenty lessons learned and will break it into several posts because I have a personal thing about reading long posts (which is why I seldom write long posts).
These come in no particular order of importance. I'm just putting them down in the order that I think of them.

1. It doesn't take much to get by.
We started the year with most of our stuff packed away in three storage units while living in a 500 sqft, furnished apartment. It was small, we didn't have much space, but we managed the five months there just fine.

2. Recycling is a good thing.
I knew recycling was good before but we never really did much. With a recycling center just a mile away from the apartment, we started the habit and have continued it even though it is much less convenient now that we've moved into our new home and have to plan trips to a recycling center. (Rural recycling pick up isn't really a thing in Southwest Missouri.)

3. I'm way more of an introvert than I once believed.
The pandemic of 2020 has taught me that I'm perfectly comfortable not being around other people. While I always knew that, I didn't realize how much until this year. In fact, I'm a lit bit surprised and privately wonder if maybe I need counseling over just how much I like it that people stay the hell away from me.

4. People are easily manipulated by their fear.
This might be the biggie of the year. I am still baffled by the complete buy-in that people have to anything that appeals to their fears. We have seen it in race, politics, religion, and science (or more appropriately, science denial) this past year in ways that defy all logic and reason.

5. Contemplation is a good thing.
Think about it. (See what I did there?) The relative isolation of the pandemic and the time freedom of retirement have allowed me the luxury of being able to contemplate much of life's worries. There is peace in understanding. My advice for 2021 is seek to understand.

6. There are huge personal benefits to giving.
It's better to give than to receive is a saying that has real merit. The volunteer work that we began in 2019 is one of the things I have missed most in 2020. I still find a few ways to serve others without too much exposure during this pandemic, but much of the need requires more contact than I am willing to expose us to at this time. I am thankful for and try to be supportive of those that continue to meet the needs of the unsheltered community in Springfield, especially during these colder months.

I'm going to leave it at these six for today, but will be back with more in the coming days.
I hope that 2020 was more than just a year to survive for you. Perhaps there are lessons you learned that you'd be willing to share. Hit me up in the comments.

John