Monday, December 28, 2020

12.28.20 2020 Hindsight


I am an optimist...sometimes to the point that it annoys my family...but this year has really tested my ability to see the glass as half full. 

As we approach the end of this year, I suspect I am not alone in saying I will be glad to see 2020 go...it been a year marked by cancellations, disappointments and stress...and yet, when I look back, I see it was not all bad.





I know by now we all have a love-hate relationship with Zoom (side note - I used an earlier version about five years ago, when I worked remotely on a project in Pennsylvania - trust me, it's much better now)...without it, and the ability to stay connected to my community, this year would have been so much worse.

There was no family vacation this summer, or Thanksgiving gathering at my mother-in-law's, but we've had a family Zoom every week since spring...and catching up with my kids each Saturday has been a joy!


This was supposed to be the year of my 35th college reunion...and when it didn't happen, my roommate (who you will remember from previous posts about my visit to Wisconsin and her son's fabulous wedding) suggested we have a mini-reunion with our dormmates...on Zoom...we did! It was really fun.




There have been no trips to the studio - of any kind - jewelry or yoga.  I haven't been making pendants at home, but I have been able to practice yoga with some of my favorite teachers - including two who have moved away from Austin and now live in LA and NYC.

Spending a few hours each week on my mat with these fabulous women - even virtually - has gone a long way towards keeping my body and my spirit healthly.  I don't know what I would have done without them.


Even though I haven't been at the bench - I have stayed very connected to the jewelry community through the Ladysmiths of ATX.

Joining them as a core team member and seeing them every week has been one of the things truly keeping me going.

The group made the difficult decision not to renew the lease on the Canopy space, and close the physical shop...not knowing how long the shut down would go on.  As a result there was no longer a physical space for our community to come together.

Since I signed up for a paid Zoom account (for other reasons...mostly weekly chats with my kids in the beginning), I started hosting a monthly online Ladysmiths social event - Sip & Smith - to connect with and support other makers in a virtual space, at least for now.

In June, in the wake of the murders of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd, our community of women makers came together in just a couple of weeks to hold an online auction that raised over $11,600 to support organizations committed to justice for women and LBGQTI+ individuals in the Black community...

and just this month we hosted a virtual market - the Maker Magic Holiday Show - on Instagram.

The one place I have been able to go safely - every week - is the Texas Farmers' Market at Mueller. Never have I looked forward to grocery shopping as much as I do now.  I've been meeting a friend (masked and socially distanced, of course), we park and visit while we take a Sunday stroll the few blocks to the market and back again.  

I'm so thankful for my community - they have made me happier, healthier and kept me sane - through this very challenging year. I'm also grateful to those of you who continue to follow along on the blog.  To be honest, it's been hard to write this year...in part because I haven't had anything to say about jewelry...but writing helps me to process the things going on in my life, and in the world around me.

I hope you are staying home, staying safe (wearing a mask) and that you, too, can look back on 2020 and find some small amont of good...and of course, that we can all begin to return to the people and places we miss in 2021.

Until next year. 



No comments:

Post a Comment