2020 wrapped up, Embracing "the Suck"

After a short hiatus from writing over the holidays, I sprung out of bed this morning, searching for my laptop. On the Eve of a new year, I find myself slightly put off by all the "#fuck2020" and "glad it's over" bullshit.

The reality is YOU'RE STILL HERE, and life's incredible. Sure, you lost some money, maybe some possessions. You couldn't visit all your family and friends this past year. You've had an interruption in your total freedom to do whatever you want.

OK, you lost some income. Let's figure out a way to prevent this if it happens again.

OK, you haven't seen "this person" or "that person" in awhile. Make a plan to do something special with them when it over. Of course, there are circumstances where some of these people may have passed during COVID. Learn from it and try to spend time with everyone you care about before they check out. Waaaay too much focus on the negative.

Embrace the forced change of pace, hopefully you've taken the time to do something different or something you otherwise didn't have the time to do.

Stop whining; think of ten awesome things that happened since the spring. I bet it won't take you long, no matter how shitty things may be right now. Turning that corner or flipping that switch in your brain may help.

A great comparison I have to fishing would be:

I often think that to be a well-rounded fisherman; you need to have experienced "the Suck" The suck can be: the cold, the wait, the weather, the lack of fish, grumpy fish, no fish, I'm hungry, leaky waders, fell in, pissing rain, blown-out river or whatever.

The more levels of suck you endure yet keep coming back for more, I feel it makes you appreciate "the Good" on a higher level. When the suck stops feeling like it sucks and you can embrace its beauty, you have then "made it"

So there you have it. I have finished off the year by equating a "not as good" year to fishing.