One Lesson From 2020 That I’m Taking Into 2021

Lesson-I-Learned-in-2020 — Photo by Jessie Wyman Photography

I’m not sharing anything revolutionary when I say that 2020 threw us all for a loop. And 2021 isn’t going so well in its first few days. What happened on January 6, 2021, in Washington, D.C. was upsetting, to put it mildly. I’m still having trouble finding the words to describe my anger, fear, and disgust at what the world witnessed.

It reminded me of one of the lessons I learned in 2020 that I’m taking into 2021. And that is the word, Grace. I’m not talking about having poise or being elegant. I am referring to the ability to act with civility, decorum, and decency, to be diplomatic, even in the most trying of times.

Grace under Fire.

And 2020 definitely taught me grace under fire.

It’s not a natural state of being for most people, rather it’s something that is learned over time. And it’s obviously something that needs to be taught to more people in this country, including the man currently sitting in the Oval Office. If he and his followers had any grace, they would have respectfully accepted the results of the election and allowed for a peaceful transition of power. Instead, this man that is supposed to be our leader is encouraging angry mobs to storm the Capital building. And those mobs, with their guns and their tear gas, dealt with less opposition than peaceful Black Lives Matter activists just months earlier.

Unfortunately, I fear we have yet to see the last of these kinds of terrorist acts. But I am hopeful that with new leadership in the White House as well as a changing of the guard in the House and Senate, that we will be able to bring a little grace back to Washington, D.C., as well as the entire country.

It’s about time, right?