How did you spend your summer?
It’s a common question this time of year as the kids head back to school and carefree summer fun gives way to cooler temperatures, shorter days, and pumpkin spiced everything. But like everything else in 2020, the answer to that question is anything but common this year.
We thought it would be fun to share how our teams experienced this atypical summer of 2020, and how those experiences shaped their lives and perspectives going forward.
Angela
Ah, the Summer of 2020. I think we’ll all remember it well. But as crazy as it’s been, I’ve learned a few things along the way. (1) I constantly touch my face and rub my eyes. I mean constantly. I am an awful poster child for personal safety in 2020. (2) Working from home isn’t pretty; it’s about finding the one clean angle in my house with good lighting and no kids. And it’s also about sharing the internet connection with classroom calls and a bored 13-year-old’s YouTube stream. (3) Speaking of classroom calls, I learned not to yell across the house without verifying that my daughter isn’t on one. (4) My kids learned their own limits while hiking throughout the deserts of Utah… mainly because I wasn’t going to carry them 3 miles back to the car. (5) Most importantly, I learned that what works for my family won’t work for everyone. Period. And that’s ok.
So whether it was about self-awareness or a family revelation, I’m grateful for the positives of 2020. I spent a little more time with my family. We ate more lunches together. We stayed up too late. And we found spontaneity in the mundane. It’s been crazy for sure, but I hope we can all look back, remember the lessons and appreciate what we have.
Scott
Summer 2020 was one where nothing I expected or planned on happened. Each planned event was slowly cancelled. With traditional summer plans sidelined, we decided to spend a week off the grid staying out in nature. What I found was that a typical vacation often is more work than relaxation. Unplanned and unstructured time in nature accomplished more than any beach vacation could have. In the end I found more value in disconnecting and rejuvenating than I lost in the things I missed out on.
Erin
This summer I learned that a pandemic is a perfect time to try new things, so I decided to re-think my health goals. I took the opportunity to change up my eating habits (since I had fewer restaurant temptations) and started an all-new exercise routine tailored to my needs- and without a gym.
Despite my skepticism, I stuck with it and not only lost weight, but have also begun to feel better than I have in 14 years, I toned up, lost weight, and got much healthier at a faster pace. 2020 has turned out to be a pretty decent year for me.
TJ
2020 is a year I will not forget any time soon. Some positives did come out of this summer. I was able to fall back in love with being outside. With fair skin, I didn’t love being outside all day. But with months of being stuck at home, I was forced to learn to love outside again. I went camping, climbed mountains, spent time at various lakes, and often worked from my back deck. I started to really appreciate the outdoors and having fun without being glued to a screen.
Lauren
2020 has been the year that I’ve embraced solitude, quiet, and having little in the way of organized plans. As we approached summer and realized that our traditional travels and typical summer activities would be different, we re-imagined a summer vacation that worked for this new, slower pace. So we borrowed a little boat from my dad, ventured out onto the Mighty Mississippi and “island hopped” for a week. There are beautiful little sand bars that dot the shores and various islands along the river that are empty during the week. We’d beach the boat, plant our chairs, pop open our umbrellas and sit in solitude. Friends keep asking me what we did during our time on the “islands.” My response is this: we sat with our thoughts; we unplugged; we were quiet for an entire week. No music. No television. No contact with any other human beings.
I’m still a social girl and hopeless hugger of all, but this year, this summer, and this trip taught me the value of slowing down and disconnecting for a while.
Cara
2020 was a learning curve for our family, that is for sure. Explaining to an 8- and 6-year old they can’t go play with their friends, go to their grandma’s house, have a 6th birthday party, or even go to the store and get a new toy is impossible and heartbreaking! This summer we were very thankful for our boat. The kids love it and it gave us a place to go and have fun all weekend.
My husband and I were scheduled to go on a 10-year anniversary trip this May. We rescheduled to June… and then again to September. We ended up canceling it completely “just in case.” This fall our kids started back at school full time (wearing masks full time).
If this summer has taught me anything it is to be thankful for the family and people we have in our lives.
Kristine
Every summer I have big plans to accomplish things, and this summer left me with few excuses. Thanks to my new-found free evenings, I was able to build and start a box garden, sand the old paint off my deck bit by bit, and stain it (with some help from friends). I also completed various other home projects and crafts.
If I’ve found anything over this summer, it’s that while screens can be useful for lots of things, and enabled me to continue my job and friendships with a degree of normalcy, getting outside and sweating is irreplaceable when it comes to avoiding mood slumps. As a bonus, I also tanned enough to no longer look like I live in a crypt!
Pat
Summer 2020 was one of change for me and my family. We bought a new house. I started a new job. We had to cancel a trip to Florida that we were all looking forward to. And my summer full of shows with my band was reduced to a single show.
I thrive in familiarity, and very little about this summer was familiar. But I’ve tried to embrace these changes as an opportunity to grow. I can’t say I’ve 100% achieved it, but I’m working on it. I’m also entering the Fall with a renewed appreciation for the experiences I get to have and the people I get to have them with.
No doubt about it, summer 2020 was a strange one. But we hope that, like our team, you’ve taken the opportunity to find unconventional ways to make it memorable. As kids head back to school (virtually or in person) and we all settle in for the coming holiday season, we hope your 2020 finishes strong and we look forward to helping you achieve all of your business goals heading into next year.
