Missy’s end-of-the-year list of things she’s learned
- Melissa Herrera: Not Waiting for Friday
- December 27, 2020
- 891
It’s end-of-the-year list time, and I know you want to hear my thoughts. It would be easy to want to throw 2020 in the trash can and never look back, but I can’t do that because it brought a few good things for us while shining a light on even more. Here is my short list:
1) This was the year I realized that if told to, I can stay at home for long lengths of time and never grow weary. I am an introvert at heart and now know my work-at-home schedule is really the blueprint for a stay-at-home order.
2) That life inches on even during chaotic, life-altering events, and sadly, we become numb to their effects if it doesn’t touch us. We shouldn’t have to have something touch us personally for it to matter.
3) That I can live without some of my favorite things: movie theaters, mindless shopping trips, lingering brunches and spontaneous travel. I want them back eventually, but the wait will be worth it.
4) That we need a primer on law vs. mandate and what the executive and legislative branches at the state level actually do. Did y’all not listen during government class?
5) That I got a head start on mask-wearing by securing a Here Comes the Storm red lightning original by Mi Gente Clothing. My eldest owns a clothing company in Florida, and masks are one of their products. Last November (2019) she gave me one when we were there for her wedding, and if I wasn’t ready for the mask order, no one was. I started wearing it in early March to pick up meat and cheese in town, and if only I could’ve recorded the weird looks I got. I’m an avid masker, and I’m proud.
6) That if any year was the year for the Cleveland Browns to be relevant and winning, 2020 would be it. As of this writing, we’re 10-4. It’s Victory Monday, and there’s a stellar chance of the playoffs. All you naysayers nitpicking every single thing (franchise QBs and the like) need to pipe down. If my dad was still alive, he’d be rejoicing there is meaningful football being played in Cleveland during the month of December. Woof!
7) That in certain circles, the rejection of science and the reliance on “faith only” can have devastating effects. Just like there are masters of woodworking, skilled financial advisors and people who excel in the business world, the nonbelief in science and medicine has baffled me this year. It’s not the time to be cherry-picking what should be believed. God has given scientists and doctors the ability to research and aid in healing, just like other professions. Why would we reject their expertise?
8) That big things, like releasing a novel during a pandemic, can bring you sweet release. The novel I wrote on my husband’s life, “TOÑO LIVES,” is finally out of my grip and sent into the world. That a story of extreme hardship, death and crime can be received with love while people support you in ways you could never conceive. If you haven’t read it yet, you can buy it at www.tinyurl.com/Tonolives, or it’s available locally in several bookstores.
9) That the sweetness my new grandson Nico brings is a measure of steadiness and love I didn’t know I had. That despite it all, life comes forth, grows and smiles at you weekly over FaceTime — a new voice trying so hard to make himself heard in a blathering world. We do well to listen.
10) That 2021 is in our hands, depending on how we walk into it. Let’s walk with purpose. Happy New Year.
Melissa Kay Herrera is a columnist and author. You can find her published novel on Amazon at www.tinyurl.com/Tonolives, as well as The Gospel Book Store in Berlin. For queries or speaking engagements, email her at junkbabe68@gmail.com.