2020 Vision

Written by Tom Being Tom

2020.

So far, so good, right?

I mean, aside from the pandemic and the long overdue, ever-present, worldwide protests against systemic injustice, this year has been like any other. Remember back in January when the weirdest thing about 2020 was the impeachment of Donald Trump or the latest real possibility of WWIII?

Good times.

Since then, Kobe Bryant died. Trump skated. The Chiefs came back. Iowa forgot how to count. Rush Limbaugh received an undeserved medal. Mitt Romney showed courage. Polygamy became legal. Roger Stone and his Nixon tattoo got 3 years. Ahmaud Arbery was murdered. The Dow plummeted. Covid-19 did not disappear “like a miracle.” Everything shut down. Everyone got $1200. Black Monday. Harvey Weinstein got 23 years. Black Thursday. Breonna Taylor was murdered. Tom Brady left New England. Unemployment spiked. America became the world leader in infections. Joe Biden became the presumptive Democratic nominee. The Space Force launched. Oil prices went negative. The Senate reaffirmed Russian meddling. The Pentagon admitted UFOs. NASA set up a moon trip. Murder hornets attacked. George Floyd was murdered. Trump got checked. Far-left and far-right groups sowed the seeds of dissent. Trump attacked Americans for a photo-op. Protestors formed autonomous zones. The White House formed a perimeter. Muriel Bowser formed Black Lives Matter Plaza. Gone with the Wind was suspended. Rayshard Brooks was murdered. The LGBT community gained civil rights. Longstanding racist symbols finally came down. John Bolton told all.

The protests continue, 26 days later. The coronavirus is surging again. There are still 10 days until the midpoint of 2020.

Today’s headlines are about Trump and the DOJ’s usual abuse of power. About an ill-advised political rally that could (and probably will) lead to outbreak. About defunding the police. About Juneteenth. There is always a tally of the surge, a mention of the plague. Is anyone talking about climate change right now?

I tend to chronicle the events of humanity alongside events of my own. I have a global and personal perspective. As the world turns, Tom proceeds. My early 2020 promises have had mixed results. That’s okay. Some of that was bluster, others obvious, and some of it was just for fun. I’ve had a good year, personally. Surprisingly. Mrs C remains happy as she’s ever been. The dogs remain healthy and active. Work is busy, and we’ve added my dear friend Dylan to the payroll, as something of a protégé to Tom. I performed my first wedding ceremony, and it went without a hitch (pun, apologetically, intended). The Rams haven’t lost a game this year.

I’ve been distant, I know. I haven’t spent a ton of time on my blog, or yours. It’s really not you, it’s me. I haven’t done much exercising or reading or writing or grilling or going out or anything like that. I have cleaned my garage, a lot. I did stain my deck. My left foot is a constant reminder of that since the top portion has been numb ever since. Apparently, that’s where I held my weight? Pinched a nerve? My mobility and balance are completely unaffected. It just feels weird. I intend to replace the entire back fence, next. I counted 305 6” pickets. It’s only money. It’s only time.

I’ve been at work a lot. I’ve taken work very seriously, of late. I’m preparing my mind for the takeover, which is one day closer every day. That is where most of my energy is directed.

Home. Family. Work.

Who knew at 51 I’d suddenly adult?

In 9 days I’ll be 52. That number doesn’t look much different than 51 to me. And, as you already know, I’ve been calling myself 52 all year. Nothing changes. Everything changed.

What will the second half of 2020 bring? I’ve heard alien invasion is next. Or is it an asteroid hit? Aren’t we supposed to have seen the locust that sting like scorpions by now?

Maybe this is the beginning, not the end. Maybe we’ll all look back at 2020 as the moment when we woke up. We’ll leave Trump behind, having learned our lesson. We’ll treat each other better. Maybe we’ll start to focus on things that really matter. People over profit. Planet over money. Unity over division. Acceptance over judgment. A better future. A better humanity.

Maybe we needed 2020 right now.

Take care of yourselves today, folks. Take care of each other. Stay together, and stay strong. Keep up those protests, until everybody listens.

The future is brighter than ever.

33 thoughts on “2020 Vision”

  1. I started reading your list and realized I’d already forgotten about half the things that had happened so far as if they’d taken place years ago. 2020 isn’t even halfway over and it seems like it’s been going on for decades!

    Liked by 3 people

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    1. The year the earth stood still! As I was reminding myself of all the things that have happened – and this far short of a comprehensive list – I, too, was surprised. Here’s hoping nothing ever tops the first half of 2020. 😉

      Liked by 1 person

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  2. If you can list all those events and still say the future looks bright? My hat’s off to you. I tend to distrust humanity a bit more and remain skeptical.
    I want to believe…. but.

    Liked by 2 people

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    1. Totally understood. But, as I always say, the long arc of history favors the continued growth and enlightenment of humanity. We’re better off, in total, than we were 50 years ago, 100 years ago, 250 years ago, or 500 years ago. If we don’t kill each other off – a big if – we will continue to evolve. ✊

      You can believe in that. 😏

      Liked by 1 person

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    1. First of all, an early Happy Birthday greeting. Secondly, I suspect the second half of 2020 will make the first half seem like a snooze fest. It’s about to reach freak show status, although an argument can be made that we are already there. Perhaps, but it is about to get worse. Maybe our current WH occupant might have to be removed by force. Can only imagine that would look like. I am also very interested in seeing how a lot of people getting sick at these rallies will be spun. Betchya it will be along the lines that the virus was planted at the location by the media, the Biden campaign or some radical left wing “terrorist“ organization. The sad thing is a lot of those who have already drank the Kool-Aid will swallow it hook, line and sinker.

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      1. Aw, Steve, that glass looks half empty. 😉

        But you’re probably right. The right, when proven wrong, tend to cry foul and blame “Democrats” for everything. And they have the audacity to call liberals “snowflakes.” 🤣

        The Trump train is derailing. Given enough support he’ll stay in the office and pout until he’s dragged out. But if current trends continue, he won’t have enough support to even put up a fight. By November, Melania may drag him out….

        Liked by 1 person

    2. It is love, in point of fact. Before all this started, my runaround time was getting replaced by my home-time and work-time because, frankly, I love my home and work life. I love my bar, too, don’t get me wrong, but this “mandatory social distancing” thing was a damn good excuse to get more done. 😉

      And forget the zoloft. Crop-dust the world with Tom’s blog. 😁

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    1. We’re in the crescendo of calamity now. Folks will look back 50 years from now and say “remember the first half of 2020? Boy that really woke us up!”

      You and I will just look back a year from now and say, “boy, Tom, you were right. Things did get better, and it’s nice to see Trump tweeting manically from home now instead of from the West Wing. Biden’s doing a pretty good job, huh?”

      Liked by 1 person

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  5. Thank you Brother Tom for putting things into perspective, everything and nothing happened. But honestly, I just want 2020 to go by the wayside and leave so that we can begin to live life at a new normal. If that’s even possible, the new normal I mean. Congrats on your first wedding ceremony.

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  6. Hey Tom,
    So what you’re saying is that we needed 2020 in 2020? Ha! How’s that for timing? It has been a year to remember, hasn’t it? Glad that you and the missus and your fur babies are all doing well. Hopefully your foot will get with the program soon as well. Very cool performing a marriage. I hope you give us a full post on that — were there many people? Was everyone in a mask, etc.? I agree that everyone needs to strap in and hang on tight this second half of the year. The loop de loops promise to be loopier. Like your Rams, our Cowboys seem to be doing okay right now. However, I learned this week that our running back just tested positive. Asymptomatic if that matters. Personally, I think our future’s so bright, we might all need shades along with our masks. The rest? I’m not holding my breath unless I’m around someone unmasked. Then I’m just running away. 🙂 Mona

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    1. Shades and masks! 😎😷🤣

      The wedding had probably too many people, unmasked, but it was outside in a strong breeze. I felt good about that. One thing I’ve noticed is outside activities (the misbegotten rodeo nearby, the protests) have caused very little outbreak, while indoor activities (a church service, an indoor family gathering) have caused flare ups around here. Proceed with caution and watch the science.

      I think we’ll all look back at this year and remember that we learned something, about ourselves and our world. Hindsight, as they say, is 2020. 😉

      Liked by 1 person

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    1. Capitalism, as we know it, will have to end. Or, at the very least, evolve. In many parts of the world, it already has. Over on FB, where my friends and family see the blog link, I was challenged to come up with a way my own small business can realistically put “people over profits.” I happen to work for a guy who has done that for 20 years now, always thinking of his employees and customers first before his bottom line. Certainly that approach has not made him wealthy. But I pointed out to the person who presented the challenge that a bottom-up approach to “people over profits” will not get us there. It is the billionaire class and the mega-corporation and the massive government transfer of wealth from the lower and middle class to the wealthy upper percentile that must change. The better world must come from a transfer of wealth from the greedy upper class back to the people whose hard work and sacrifice made their wealth possible.

      So far, that answer has been met with silence. I’ll let you know if the question-bearer (an admitted capitalist-loving, free market, libertarian in the past) ever gets back to the thread. 😉

      Liked by 1 person

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      1. There is no such thing as a “fee market.” Challenge him on that. When the Government bails out automotive companies, banks, subsidizes farmers etc., that is not a “free market” determined by demand. That is Gov’t subsidized business….socialism. This has been going on for years, not just during the pandemic.

        Liked by 1 person

      2. Ah yes, George, he knows all that. Understanding it is a far different thing. As another friend pointed out to me in his more-trollish attack, “smart people are so dumb!” Well, those weren’t his exact words but, alas, that was the gist of his ill-conceived argument. Obviously, it ended with “Trump 2020!”

        We can only lead them to the books, my friend. We cannot make them read.

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  9. So 2020 has been…well, I started to say “a year”, but technically it hasn’t even been six months. As I read through your list I found myself unexpectedly surprised–surprised that I knew all the public events you’ve listed for the year so far but that I’ve never put them all together in one mental space. It feels like my personal life has shrunk significantly but the rest of the world has blown up by an inversely proportional amount. I know it’s not true; many of the things the wider world is dealing with, especially racism, are issues that haven’t been fully addressed in the past so they keep coming up.
    And you caused me to reflect on how I’ve been neglecting myself. I’ve been neglecting things that make me happy. I won’t go into detail–this is, after all, a blog about Tom Being Tom; Chris Throws Himself A Pity Party is a different blog, although I doubt anyone’s registered that domain, but if they have I’m not going to be upset about it.
    What you’ve made me realize, though, is that things don’t have to hit rock bottom before they start getting better. And right now, not quite halfway through the year, is as good a time as any to start. There are already things to look forward to. For instance I’m not too late to wish you a happy birthday for this year. And if I had been then I still wouldn’t be too late for next year.

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    1. Thank you, Chris! Yup, only 4 days til 52 now, and Mrs C said “what do you want for your birthday dinner?” last night. I hadn’t thought about it. I love tacos, but she makes me my favorite tacos all the time. We had enchiladas for a recent holiday, and I love those, too. But my wife makes the most AMAZING lasagna and I haven’t had that in a while – and it used to be my annual go-to birthday dish – so the answer was obvious. Incidentally, she makes to-die-for buttered garlic bread on the side, too.

      And it is these things that make the life worthwhile. As the world literally does blow up around us, we take solace in love, in family, in routines we cherish, and in the never-ending search for further personal enlightenment. Let us grow, evermore. ❤️

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