Be a Train Wreck Scavenger—How to Bid Farewell to 2020

It’s the best way to bid farewell to 2020!

I know you’re ready. You know you’re ready. Everybody’s ready to bid their farewell to 2020. 

It’s the one thing we call all agree on.

Can I get a “Hell Yes!” on that one?

So, I’m recommending we all become train wreck scavengers as we prepare to bid farewell to good ol’ 2020. Believe it or not, we can salvage a few gems from the mess. 

And we need to do this…

If nothing else comes of it, simply saying our farewells to 2020 will be refreshing… um, no… cleansing? Well, sort of… but, no… cathartic… that’s it! Saying farewell to 2020 will be absolutely cathartic!

You’ll be tempted to completely sanitize away every last memory of the year.

But wait—Don’t do that!

Not yet anyway.

Yes, this year was one big sucker of a leach on life. It would be very easy to keep bashing the year like no other year we have ever known! But if you have known me for long, you know that’s not how I roll!

Inspired by a video message from life coach, Karena Steir, I’m going to share a simple and important exercise that will help you reconcile 2020 and depart from her in peace.

Before I do though, I need you to stick with me here.

What I’m about to suggest is going to sound a bit like one of those touchy-feely things they have us do in retreats and workshops. I know I’m asking a lot.

I promise you’ll want to trust me on this one. You’ll appreciate it in the end. Okay? You with me?

The idea is simple, and it will do your heart and soul good. Before we give 2020 our flying farewell salute, let’s take stock of the good stuff. And I guarantee you, there was some good stuff you’ll want to remember.

Ready? Let’s do this!

Take a few minutes to find a quiet place (if you can). Grab a pen and pad of paper and write down your discoveries, accomplishments, and the good times from the year. (It’s better if you write them down, rather than just thinking your way through this. And, if you must, go ahead and use your phone).

Yes, write down every one you can think of. Every-last-one-of-them. No matter how small they might be. As many as you can—write ‘em down. When you think of one, write it down. 

The reason for this is simple… We’re well aware of the crappy parts of 2020. We don’t need help coming up with that list! It’s just not good to end a year remembering only one downer after another.

It will be healthy to take a moment, revisit the year from a slightly different view, and appreciate the good you’ve experienced too. 

More memories will come to you later. You may not be able to think of them in one sitting, and you’ll want to add them as you think of them.

The good ones will be hiding behind those you’ve blocked!

You might want to scan through your photos, calendar, emails… anything that may prompt a memory.

Remember this, we were met with so much we never saw coming… so much we couldn’t have imagined. And we still made it through, while so many others didn’t, let’s keep our thoughts and prayers with them… always. So much we went through we didn’t think we could.

Even as simple, yet challenging as self-rationing your toilet paper until you could get more. Congratulations! You did it!! (In time, I hope).

Now you can say, “Hey, I can survive a world with ______.” (The blank is yours to fill in).

Repeat after me, “I survived six months without Starbucks.” 

Get the idea? Now that’s a good start… keep going… “I donated ten boxes of stuff I haven’t touched in years.” Great, keep going.

You’ve probably made at least a hundred accomplishments since the beginning of March, so start with a few, then keep working on your list. That online course. Those books you read. That Netflix series. Put them on your list.

Keep building your list by adding something more significant with each entry (remember, this is for you; not for anyone else). 

Did you get to know yourself and your cabinmates better? Did you learn to give both of you more slack?

You grew personally and discovered strengths you didn’t know you had. Learning to be alone with yourself is an accomplishment in itself worth celebrating!

The whole point of this is to remember the good parts that were overshadowed by all of the mayhem. 

“Holy crap, you did it!”

Yes, you did. Now you’re ready to bid farewell to 2020.

Be untucked.

p.s. – I’m pretty sure I found out what happened… “And now we welcome the new year. Full of things that have never been.” —Rainer Maria Rilke

(Sigh) Oh well.

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