Ready for 2021?

 

        Did you know we have entered the Year of the Ox that last occurred 12 years ago? Strange things are happening around us. Not only is it a pandemic, but the world has turned upside down...literally. A popular, local Mexican restaurant just collapsed into a sinkhole. I drove by the area and it was surrounded by a fence with a sign above the building saying it is temporarily closed. I can see why! It even made the national news. Apparently, the ground underneath couldn’t support the building any longer and it collapsed. There water leaked beneath the surface and the floor cracked suddenly as people ran out the door. The restaurant had to lay off 80 workers. I hope their insurance covers the reconstruction. Aren’t we all rebuilding ourselves now as 2020 comes to an end? We are all survivors and this pandemic isn’t going to get us down. As a society, we are coping with a daily, deadly virus. Hospitals are overcrowded and can only take in emergency patients. Restaurants have closed or turned to deliveries and take out only. The world as we know it is slowly evolving into a new society.

How are we handling the holidays? We are living to excess while lacking human contact and freedom. We are trying to social distance, stay home, and limit visitors. However, not everyone is following these rules. Even the officials making the rules are breaking them. It is in the news daily. We are doing our best to survive in this new normal. I can relate to this quote, “ Food is the most abused anxiety drug. Exercise is the most underutilized antidepressant.” My new year’s resolution is to do better in both of these areas. Eating healthy food and exercising sounds about right. It would help if it was safe to return to the gym. It would help if I cut down on sugar. need to just ‘Do It’ as Nike says. It is hard to exercise with a mask on. Someone said if you put a piece of tape at the top of your mask, it stops it from fogging up your glasses. Now that is a helpful tip to start the New Year. 

I will know that things are improving when the restaurant emerges from the sinkhole. It won’t look or be the same, but it will survive the foundation breaking underneath and rise to become a sturdier framework. Maybe we can take some lessons from this freaky event. The restaurant still has the same name, but has new support, features, and is sturdier in many ways. Here’s a toast to 2021 and all that it has to offer us. We are ready for a change in the Year of the Ox.