The Observer: Lessons learned from the year 2021 – Seacoastonline.com

By Ron McAllister| The Observer

A BeatlessongfromtheirSgt. Pepperalbum (1967)popped intomy head last week:A Day in the Life.Thetrackends with a crash, a loud orchestral crescendo and complete musical chaos.It is a crazy ending that fits with the crazy year that was 2021.Maybe thats why it came to mind. [Thank you, John and Paul.]

I read the newseveryday and often find itrather sad.It has been adepressingyear for many because of the pandemic (more people died with COVID-19in 2021 than in 2020); because ofclimate catastrophes(i.e., tornadoes in Kentucky, wildfires in Oregon and California, flooding in Arizona);because of mass shootings (i.e., Oxford, Michigan); because ofcivilunrest(January 6)and Congressional lunacy.How can we put our troubles in perspective?How can we find the calm within what Yeats called the deep hearts core? [Thank you, W. B.]

Ive been trying to figure out how to deal with it all.Looking over the dismal year weve had, I can see some things that helped me; strategies available to everybody.Here are the lessons I learned:

Be Creative.I write, butIm sureany creativeexpressioncan becurative whether it is photography, drawing,painting,sculpting, ceramics or something else. My writing this year resulted in27 columnsforThe York Weekly.Most of thesecould not have been writteninanypreviousyear.The act of writing is cathartic for me.In 2021 I wrote aboutwhat troubled me:COVID(multiple times), climate change(multiple times),D.J. Trump (multiple times),the insurrection,guns, misrepresentations ofBLM and CRT,the deathofour friendDavid Newman.[Thank you, David.]

Be Generous.I bake sourdough bread every weekten loaves a month on average.I give most of it away.The baking and the giving away help me stay connected with people.I hope my loaves will satisfy peoples bodily hunger, but also satisfy our mutual hunger for contact.[Thank you, Maine Grain Alliance.]

Be Connected.COVIDhas been an isolating experience, cutting us off from others but youve got to connect, even if it is only by Zoom.I was involved in at least 50Zoom(or Zoom-like)callsthis year.These sessions could not be done face-to-face.Of all the meetings and conversations I had, it was the ones with friends that helped me most.[Thank you, all.]

Go Outside. This year found me on my bike many mornings because cycling helps to keep my stress at bay.Map-My-Ridecountsmy trips andmaps mymileage so I knowI took 128 rides this year.You dont have to have to ride a bike but putting your body in motion helps.[Thank you, Nat, for the e-bike.]

Read a Book.At this point last year (2020) Id readmore than two dozenbooksbut this year (2021) Iveread a lot less.I dont know how many books I read this year because I stopped keeping track in March.I often found it hard to concentrate and I blame 2021 for howdistractedI have been.Ill read more next year because I know reading a good book is a great escape from painful reality.[Thank you, George Saunders and Karl Ove Knausgaard for your work.]

Dont just sit there, do something.Getting twoCOVIDvaccinations and a booster made me feel like I was attacking the virus and not just sitting home waiting for it to break into my house and attack me.What would my year have been like without my three vaccinations?I dare not think.[Thank you,Moderna and York Hospital.]

Dont just do something, sit there.Contemplation, meditation, not thinking, prayer, call it what you like.It is important (though not always easy) to be present to yourself and to others.[Thank you, Krista Tippett and the On Being Project.]

Be grateful. See above. [Thank you, Judith.]

Now, at the end of another toughyear,listening toA Day in the Life,I think ofanother poem about a day: Mary OliversA Summer Day.The poemmovesfrom the prayer of naturetothe nature of prayerand endswith thisline:Tell me, what is it your plan to dowith your one wild and precious life?

A great question to help put everything in perspective.[Thank you, Mary Oliver.]

Ron McAllister is a sociologist and writer who lives in York.

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