In some ways, this post feels ridiculous in the face of what happened yesterday (January 6th, 2021). And yet it feels important to remind myself of achievements from the past year.
In 2020, I:
- Found a workout routine I could stick to. In my previous, athletic, life I “trained” instead of working out. I had specific goals when it came to an exercise or sport. This was a difficult mindset to give up, but I needed to do it. I needed to get exercise for my overall health, even if it meant I wasn’t always striving to hit a personal best. I gave up the mentality that I needed to do a specific exercise 4-6 days a week for results and focused on a routine that meant I’m getting *some* exercise 6-7 days a week.
- Adopted out our foster dog, Agata, in the middle of lockdown. Agata had been with us just a bit over a year. She was a very sweet dog and the first one in a while I could *almost* see us keeping. But shop life was not for her long-term and neither was staying at home during work hours.
- Paid it forward. We donated more straight cash (versus product, gift certificates, time) in 2020 than probably our first 5 years in business combined. I hope we can continue.
- Launched a new e-commerce site for our retail store. It is by no means complete or bug-free. But it’s there and people do buy stuff. Ironically, it has helped our in-person sales. Local customers search our site and then often call in an order or bring pictures of the item to the store to purchase.
- Went back to therapy. The Northwoods of Wisconsin is a bit of a mental health desert. My therapist is not a perfect fit for me, but I’m thankful I found her. I had a specific issue I couldn’t see past and she has given me tools to do so. 2020 was a great year to have a therapist in general and I’m proud of myself for asking for help when I needed it.
- Started a meditation practice. I have been meditating off and on since June 2019. But this year I got serious with incorporating it into my morning routine. I currently have a 195 day streak of meditating for 5+ minutes in the morning. And a 45 day streak of meditating, usually longer guided stuff, in the evening. The data is out there that you don’t have to believe in it, or like it, for meditation to be beneficial for your health. I think I’m proof of that.
- Fostered a pregnant Chihuahua, had her babies born in our closet, and saw four out of five to adoptable age. Both momma and babies were adopted within one week of returning to the shelter. So many firsts! First dog birth during fostering. First puppies raised from day 0. And, sadly, first death of a newborn. It was A LOT of work – we’ve done litters of kittens before so we knew what we were getting into – but again, if ever there was a year to have some extra puppies in your world, 2020 was it.
- CLOSED BLACK FRIDAY. In the beginning of the year, we decided our business would not participate in any one-day events that created a surge of people in our store. As COVID19 cases increased dramatically in the fall here in Wisconsin, we made the decision that we would not be open for any Black Friday shopping. This has secretly been a goal of mine since we opened.
- Kept my business afloat. As I’ve tried to sum this up, it the paragraph just keeps getting longer. Perhaps I will do a separate wrap-up of Business in 2020. For now I’ll say that our numbers were good. We are healthy and safe.
I am not trying to look at things from rose-colored glasses. 2020 was indeed a dumpster fire. But I wanted to take a few minutes to reflect that it wasn’t all bad.
Just mostly bad.
In Progress Jess 