Thanks 2020!

For those people whose job wasn’t affected by their local governments’ policies, who didn’t end up in the hospital because of COVID-19, who weren’t particularly interested in either presidential candidate, and who was just generally unphased by the events of 2020, I sincerely congratulate you. I envy you. It must be nice.

This year has been a rough one for most people. For me, it’s been one of the busiest ever. I could list all of the crazy things that have happened to me and my family, but I’m not trying to one-up anyone. I’d rather spend a little time being thankful.

1. I’m thankful that my family is safe, healthy, and (generally) happy. We rolled with the punches and proved our resiliency. Working with COVID patients at my local hospital, I see what people are going through with this virus and it sucks. It really does. Whatever conspiracy theory you’re believing (and indeed, everyone is at this point, with so much misinformation going around), I can tell you that those people who get hospitalized with COVID suffer greatly. Thankfully for me, my family is doing great.

2. I’m thankful that we moved back to Reno - back to our community. We started the year in San Antonio Texas, about halfway through my Respiratory Therapy school with the Air Force. I’m not a fan of Texas in general and San Antonio in particular. It’s just not my jam. Despite what people say, Austin is not “just like Portland”. Reno is my home. The mountains that surround Reno feel like they are given a big hug all the time. We could all use more hugs in our lives.

3. I’m thankful for my extended family. Last Thanksgiving, due to a crazy plan that somehow came together last minute, I got to spend Thanksgiving with my family, my brother’s family, and my parents in a hotel just outside of New Orleans, Louisiana. It was the first time in years my brother, parents, and I had all been together. It was the first time my wife and my sister-in-law met in person. It was the first time my kids got to meet their cousins. It was awesome. In the last year, I’ve also been able to visit my grandparents in Oregon, and my cousin and her sons who live in Houston. The memories from those moments are dear to my family and I.

4. I’m thankful for my friends. After a year in Texas with few friends for most of it, I am forever grateful for the friends I have. A good friend got married this year, a couple have gotten pregnant or had babies. We’ve had friends come through for us when we really needed it this year too. I’m not the easiest person to deal with, but those who have stuck around have been invaluable.

5. I’m thankful for insurance. In August, after a beautiful trip to the Ruby Mountains, my family came home to a waterfall in our garage. After three months, we are still not in our own house, but we have been taken care of and have been able to continue some normalcy in our lives. What could have been devastating, has just been uncomfortable and for that, I’m extremely grateful. It’s frustrating to have only lived in our own home for four of the last eighteen months, but my family is now better at spending time with each other and it’ll make traveling easier in the future. Thankfully, we don’t have to pay for the thousands of dollars in damage.

6. I’m thankful for mountains. I can see mountains from every upstairs room in my house in Reno. Having lived in San Antonio for eight months in 2011, I knew I would miss the mountains when I agreed to move my family to San Antonio for a year of school. During the high learning tempo and strict rules of military training schools, I really needed an outlet. A friend got me going to a bouldering gym and it was the closest thing I could find to mountains in San Antonio. Perhaps being away from mountains and longing for them for months is what led me to a new interest in mountaineering. Maybe I was destined to do it. Maybe I’m just in some sort of middle-ish-age-crisis. Let’s be real, it’s at least partly the latter. Anyway, mountains are my therapy. They are keeping me relatively sane.

7. I’m thankful for the opportunities I’ve been given this year. This one is a tough one. The list of opportunities that were promised and never given is a much larger list that that of the opportunities received. I don’t particularly love some of the opportunities I have been given. I’m thankful for them anyway. I know that many people don’t have stable income or enough income. I am blessed (and have worked hard) to have both.

8. I’m thankful for my hobbies. I took up knitting this year and it was really nice. I fidget a lot and knitting gave me something to keep my hands moving and feel like I accomplished something. I have read 21 books so far this year and am on track to hit 24 by the end of the year. That’s twice what I read last year! I took up mountaineering - which is to say, I’ve read a lot about it, amassed a lot of equipment, and have hiked and climbed to the top of many uninteresting peaks around Reno. I started a blog and have written much more than I have in recent years (most of which is never actually posted on the blog). I missed writing. I built a climbing wall in my living room in Reno this Summer and my wife and I joined a gym and took a belay class for top rope climbing. I have so many hobbies to occupy my time and give me a feeling of accomplishment. That’s the best part.

9. Most of all, I’m thankful for my wife and kids. After moving them across the country, living in a hotel for four months and a tiny duplex with no heat for seven months (through a brutally cold winter), they still somehow like me. My kids are so awesome at finding good in every situation. My wife has been so supportive of my new career that I’ll never be able to repay her. Someday, maybe, I’ll be open about the ways she supported me through my doubts, extreme guilt, and depression this year. For now, I’ll leave it with this - she’s my hero.

Let's try our best to continue to be thankful. We all could use more positivity in our lives!