Belated Holiday Letter - 2021 - What a Year It's Been!

Belated Holiday Letter - 2021 - What a Year It’s Been!

Dear Friends and Family,

I didn’t create or send out a holiday letter this year. Now that I look back at all that has transpired, I’ve decided I need to make a record of my activities and thoughts of this unusual year.

Eliot Camp: The year started out great! We participated in church camp online, ending on January 1, 2021. We had signed up late after a positive experience with a week-long Eliot Camp online in August of 2020. It was so much fun that my husband and I decided to repeat the experience in December of 2020 and were not disappointed. We reconnected with friends from far away, got to put our new Zoom skills to work and found that some things worked better with Zoom – easy to see illustrations, easy to see faces and names on Zoom screens and no difficulty getting to events on time. Everyone was optimistic that 2021 would be the year things got back to normal. We signed up for and later attended the Creative Arts camp, in-person at Seabeck Conference Center, scheduled for August, 2021. This camp was cancelled in 2020, so we were happy to have a “normal” camp experience to look forward to.

Creative Arts Eliot 2021 was completed with great success. Friends were excited and teary-eyed to be back together, but also anxious about keeping things safe. I learned fabric dyeing techniques and was able dye two shirts for myself and several items for a new grandchild expected in February, 2022. We were especially looking forward to ending the year back at Seabeck for Winter Eliot 2021 last month. We would not only be celebrating the near end of the pandemic, but we would be staying in a brand new building which had been in the works for years. A few days before the camp was to start, our hopes were dashed by the uptick of COVID cases and threatened snow. Camp was cancelled with no online option. The only good thing about it was that we had taken a day trip to camp a couple weeks earlier for the dedication ceremony of the new building and I was able to share my photos with those anxious to see the completed facility.

Lessons learned: Online conferences can be just as rewarding as in person events but in a different way. Good Zoom skills and quick trouble-shooting are important for a successful event. Reconnecting with long time friends after the forced separation of COVID is an emotional experience.

Writing Group: I began the year well-settled in my new Writing Group. I had been meeting with these dedicated writers online since the prior summer, after I connected with them through a joint worship service of our churches. It was fun to learn that a group based in South King County, where I lived 25 years ago, included several members I knew from past activities. The concern in 2021 was whether I could continue with the group when they went back to in-person meetings, which we assumed would happen in 2021. In the course of the year I was delighted to have some of the items I wrote shared with the congregation where I was a member many years ago and then happy to find that two items I wrote would be included in a book the group published at the end of the year. You can still purchase it online: The COVID-19 Diaries: Personal Reflection by The Saltwater Writers. The writing group provided the incentive I needed to keep my blog current, with 18 posts over the course of the year, many of which the writing group critiqued and helped me revise before they went public. The plan to meet in person only materialized once – we had a delightful in-person gathering during the summer at a member’s home. It was my first chance to see most of the members in person, as well as a nice reunion with friends I’d last seen in person years earlier.

Lessons learned: Being part of a writing group that meets weekly is a big commitment – trying to write something new to share each week, providing thoughtful feedback to what others have written, and helping with the logistics of maintaining an on-going organization. The rewards are: becoming a better writer, making new friends, looking at the world from different perspectives, and motivation to share one’s own experiences and perspectives.

Carolyn with her walking buddy at Carillon Point

Exercise: The pandemic caused the shutdown of my exercise class and the local community center, leaving me struggling to keep my body in shape during most of 2020 and the first half of 2021. At home exercise programs had not worked for me. I had my exercise equipment handy, an outline of exercises to do, and information about online connections I could make, but the motivation and discipline was lacking. In the spring I delighted to learned that our Steppers walking program would start up again. I’d participated in this summer program for years. The schedule was scaled back from its original format, but was still fun and even included two complimentary meals. My outdoor exercise was also enhanced by the support of friends from my church who regularly walked outdoors three days a week. This was a stress-free activity since there was no registration, no cost, good company and a casual opt-in or opt-out arrangement each day. We walked and talked, sharing personal companionship that we all needed and appreciated. In the fall, the community center reopened and I was one of the first to sign up for exercise classes, one online and one in person. Both are going well and I’m grateful for the resumption of this activity.

Lessons learned: Exercise is important to my well-being. It works best for me when it is structured and involves other people, preferably friends.

Family Travel: As we began 2021, we hoped to visit Chicago and San Francisco to see our kids and grandkids. We expected it would be a long wait, however, because we wanted everyone to be vaccinated. Meanwhile, we appreciated and enjoyed our online visits and found them lasting much longer than we would have expected. We were impressed by all the “COVID-safe” activities our son and daughter-in-law arranged for their four kids. For example, they set up Zoom calls allowing us to watch the kids prepare dinner; even the 3-year-old twins participated. We had a long-planned visit to Chicago scheduled for mid-October. It was supposed to be the start of a longer trip planned through Grand Circle Travel. When the Grand Circle trip got postponed for the second time, we kept our Chicago reservations in the hope the family visit might still work out, although we doubted it would.

We had no specific plans for a visit to San Francisco and assumed it would not happen until all children were vaccinated. However, our daughter surprised us by suggesting we come over the July 4th holiday. We readily accepted the invitation, which occurred after all the adults in our family had been vaccinated, and most people thought we would soon be out from under pandemic restrictions. Flying First Class for added safety, we stayed in a hotel and used public transportation to get around the city. The atmosphere was clearly affected by COVID. Many businesses were closed or operating on limited hours. All restaurants in the hotel were closed, as were their meeting rooms. There were no housekeeping services unless specifically requested. Most breakfasts consisted of items picked up at Walgreen’s. Our daughter ordered take-out for our lunches. We ate one dinner and one breakfast in restaurants before realizing that our daughter considered restaurant meals too risky. Despite the challenges, we had a great time and no significant problems occurred.

Following the trip to California, we continued to hope the Chicago visit would work out. A couple weeks ahead we chatted with our son, who told us all the reasons it might not be a good idea for us to visit. We sadly agreed to cancel our travel plans. Before we had a chance to implement the cancellation, however, we got a follow-up text. Our son hadn’t intended for us to cancel, he just wanted us to take extra precautions. We were more than happy to comply with any conditions he set. We made the trip and had a wonderful time! It seems as if the more challenges there are to overcome, the more everyone appreciates the event. There was, however, that underlying sense of COVID anxiety that continued for two weeks after we returned home as we all waited for assurance that all of us were still healthy.

Lessons learned: Flexibility is essential for travel, along with willingness to risk disappointment and potential illness. Good communications about what risks are acceptable and which ones aren’t is important for those who will travel together or have visitors in their home. The rewards of a trip are magnified as a result of the effort put in to planning.

Future Travel: With three major trips and one short trip already on the calendar for 2022 (two had been postponed from 2020), 2021 ended with a sense of great uncertainty. We had hoped that things would have progressed to the new normal with the return of travel, although with a few restrictions. We had hoped to be done cancelling already scheduled tours and visits. After learning of the many cancelled flights out of SEATAC airport in December, we wonder whether vacation travel should be considered a thing of the past. Will a 2-year late 50th College Reunion, now set for August, 2022, turn into a Zoom or non-event? We continue to live day to day, making plans but knowing they might be for naught.

Lessons learned: For environmental, safety and health reasons, future trips should be closer to home, giving priority to family connections and friendships.

Home: In 2019 we began and almost finished remodeling our two bathrooms. The final finishing touches were completed just as the pandemic warnings came out in early 2020. We had not had visitors in our home during the bathroom construction period for obvious reasons but we had looked forward to having guests over once things got back to normal. It never happened. Life in construction mode turned into quarantine mode and for over two years we have had no visitors. Consequently, there was no incentive to remove clutter, or to repair or replace broken or worn items. We are now living with conditions we are reluctant to have others see. In 2021, as friends were vaccinated, I visited in their homes, even attending book group sessions in living rooms with refreshments served and no masks. We enjoyed ourselves and felt like we were making progress toward returning to our former lives. I was scheduled to have several gatherings in my home, but I backed out. Was it the pandemic or the perceived need to clean up the messy “lived in” decor that caused me to rescind my agreement to host? At this point, it is unclear if we will ever feel comfortable having guests over, a thought that makes me sad.

Lessons learned: It will take extra work, soul-searching, and a reduction of the COVID risk before I am ready for visitors in my home. It won’t be soon.

Politics: In the past we’ve often avoided discussion of politics for the sake of getting along with people of diverse points of view, but 2021 started out with most Americans watching a scary insurrection at our national Capitol. The year has been filled with news reports providing more and more detail of how the insurrection was meticulously planned by our former president and his closest advisors. Shockingly, he has spent the entire year spreading falsehoods about the last election and taking steps to return to the White House one way or another, regardless of the will of the people. Future insurrections are quite possible, maybe even likely. The country is tragically divided between those who will follow Trump no matter what lies he spreads and those who feel our country is about to become the dictatorship of a person out only to enrich his family’s power and money, while also taking revenge on his political enemies. How could we think otherwise, when one of his favorite slogans yelled against political opponents is “lock her up”? For those of us who believe in democracy and fair elections this is no time to sit on the sidelines. We need to do everything we can to support responsible leaders and oppose the takeover being organized by radical right extremists. But how? We are worried and motivated to speak out in support of saving our democracy. I’ve written postcards and letters, sent donations to candidates all across the country, and become more outspoken about my views. Will it be enough?

Lessons learned: We must continue to support responsible leaders both locally and in other states, through donations, endorsements and any other ethical means we can identify. We need to watch out for extremist views close to home and do what we can to counter them, which may mean becoming more public with our views than we otherwise might have been. We must always remember to vote and encourage others to do so also. I support Emily’s List, FUSE, Human Rights Campaign, Alliance for Gun Responsibility, the National Democratic Redistricting Committee, and Americans United for Separation of Church and State, as well as individual candidates.

Technology: Technology is part of the best and worst of the past year. The attack on the Capitol might not have happened without the ease of communication through the internet. Social media has been the perfect vehicle for spreading conspiracy theories and for allowing individuals with extremist views to find followers. On the other hand, video conferencing has allowed ordinary people from across the country and around the world to stay in touch and enjoy each other’s company despite illness and travel restrictions. Technology has allowed fracking to provide new sources of energy while causing significant damage to the environment. Technology has allowed scientists to develop needed vaccines, but also allowed modification of food in ways that may not be healthy for people or the environment. We need better regulations for technology but political gridlock makes it unlikely the needed reforms will come about in the near future.

Lessons learned: We must be careful to consider the validity of information about current and past events. When we identify reliable sources we should pay close attention and encourage their work, which might mean making donations or becoming subscribers. We must support regulations that serve the public good, by stopping environmental degradation, conspiracy theories, and hate speech. Seeking reliable sources of information, I subscribe to the Seattle Times, the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Guardian, and the Atlantic Monthly.

Cascade Mountain Range, Washington. Photo credit: Bryan Hayek

Environment: We have been warned for decades about the risks of climate change, but have made little progress reversing the dangerous trajectory we are on. The U.S. did rejoin the international Climate Agreement and legislation has been passed by the House and delivered to the Senate which would help us meet responsible climate goals, but there appears little chance the Senate will pass the legislation. Realistically, we anticipate that life on earth will face dramatic changes in the coming years, increasing the trend we already see of more violent storms, fires, and floods. Those natural disasters trigger famine, migration, and civil conflict. For those of us living comfortable lives now, we need to do our part in reducing our carbon footprint, encouraging our elected officials to make environmental concerns a priority, and preparing for a future of dramatic changes. Getting in touch with our spiritual and ethical values might be a good place to prepare for the challenges ahead.

Lessons learned: Preserving the environment is a huge problem which everyone must deal with whether we want to or not. We must prepare to make big adjustments on account of coming changes in weather, food production and migration. We need to take advantage of all opportunities to delay the effects of global warming. I support Earthjustice, the Natural Resources Defense Council, Citizens’ Climate Lobby, Food and Water Watch, Sierra Club, and the Washington Environmental Council.

Happy New Year! There are many challenges ahead but we will be better able to meet them by keeping ourselves well-informed, active in the community, and by volunteering, along with our friends, to participate in changes the future will require of us.

Carolyn Hayek