The year is almost over, and as several of my friends have said, good riddance.
However, consigning an entire year to the trash heap seems a little severe.
I spent a little time before Thanksgiving reflecting on what I am grateful for this year; I really do have a lot to be thankful for.
This is a slightly different post, reflecting on 2020, but still focusing on the things that went well for the PiN household.
Professional Highlights
To be honest, I don’t have much to write about here. I kept my job, I escaped pay cuts, I was encouraged to work from home for a good part of the spring, and I got PPE when I had to work in the hospital.
Though these accomplishments don’t sound all that sexy compared to getting a raise, a promotion, or an award, they beat the heck out of what plenty of other doctors got this year.
I am content.
Financial Highlights
At the very end of the year, I total up our annual spending and calculate our net worth. I haven’t done it yet–probably that will be Friday’s task–and I don’t usually publish it on the blog, as Mr. PiN doesn’t really like me to share those numbers.
Unlike 2019, when I was excited to pay off the mortgage, the financial highlights for 2020 were a little more subdued.
Emergency Funds
When the pandemic hit and doctors were being furloughed, I was very happy we had a nicely sized emergency fund.
Mr. PiN reminded me that emergency funds are meant to be used, and persuaded me that we needed to stock up a little, as we were having problems getting some of our usual dairy and produce. (Happily, we had stocked up on paper products right before the Great Toilet Paper Shortage of the spring.). We now have an energy efficient second fridge/freezer with extra vittles.
Emergency Plans
Before I went back to work in the hospital this Spring, I did take two steps to make sure Mr. PiN would be fine if I fell ill.
First, I had him pay the bills for several months. With electronic billing, everything is more complicated than it used to be; 20 years ago, I could just tell him where the check book was and have him watch the mail. He was quite grateful to turn the job back over to me, but it was good to know he could manage it.
The second chore I finished–or at least managed a first pass–was to leave an In Case of [emergency] letter for him. If I become incapacitated, he has a document outlining all our finances, with passwords; it’s pretty well-hidden, though, so I should probably remind him where to find it.
Family/Friends/Travel Highlights
Before the pandemic hit, we were on our way to a great year.
We started the year with a New Year’s Day party, which was lovely.
Later in the month, we hosted my brother and his family. His three munchkins are a hoot (says the doting aunt), and we were looking forward to a repeat visit in the summer. Of course, that didn’t happen.
His eldest became interested in chess, and we had some live games when they visited, and even played a few games via FaceTime and, later, Chess.com.
February took us to Florida, to visit my parents for a long weekend. Shorter visits do better, and this year we had a second visit planned for March, which had to be canceled. This was the last time I saw my parents in person this year.
We had big travel plans for the year: Florida and a conference in March (canceled), and a trip abroad in June (never booked). We still have a collection of travel points, which I hope will still be usable once the pandemic is over.
When we decided to forgo the conference close to the last minute, I elected to take the time off anyway. We had friends over to dinner instead. I am not sure we realized how long it would be before we would dine together again (I am guessing it won’t be until spring 2021, given the vaccination schedule in our state).
Though this all sounds grim, I have been loving my social hangouts on the weekends. Saturday morning and Sunday afternoon, I go to the computer and see my friends’ smiling faces. No mask required.
Health Highlights
Coronavirus
Let’s start with the basics here: I haven’t come down with COVID-19 so far. This makes me very happy.
Though my sister and her family did catch the dread virus, they are all recovered and doing well. The rest of my family, including everyone in the elder generation, have stayed safe (so far).
I was very excited (and a little nervous) to get my vaccine last week. I still have another 3 weeks and a booster to go until I have some protection, but I never would have thought this would come so soon, when I was sitting at home in March.
Fitness
With the advent of work-from-home, and the rise of using Zoom for classes, I was able to increase my exercise significantly. In a normal (not working in the hospital) week, I am now getting 3 and 1/2 hours of exercise a week, up from 2 and 1/2.
I haven’t lost any significant weight with the increase in exercise, but I also haven’t gained the quarantine 15 either.
Domestic Highlights
I spent a lot of time at home this year. As, I think, did just about everyone else. This has focused my attention on the house to an extent unmatched by prior years.
Mr. PiN
The biggest issue at home this year was Mr. PiN’s health. As I wrote previously, just as things were shutting down, he had a scan which showed a surprise mass. We had to wait several months for the workup to continue, and he went on to have major surgery this summer.
Happily, everything went well, and he is fine now. Actually, I think he is in better shape than he has been in years.
Ironically, a few weeks ago we were talking, and reminiscing how lovely it was to have our time together while he was convalescing after surgery.
How bad is it when you think getting surgery was a highlight of the year?
Anyway, that’s behind us now.
We have reached and passed a special wedding anniversary, and are still getting along well together.
The House
I had always thought that if only I had more time at home, I would keep it neater. However, I also had the anxious feeling that I was fooling myself; that the place would be just as much of a mess if I stayed home (or retired).
I was happy to see that I did spend more time getting the house in shape when I had the opportunity.
Though the place is certainly not perfect, after this year, it is so much better.
I will take credit for culling dozens of books and finally clearing out my extra bookshelf. I have also been engaged with the local Buy Nothing group: mostly I have been giving things away, though I did also snag some folding chairs that are ever so helpful for yoga class.
I like to think that my efforts inspired Mr. PiN, though some of this started with buying extra food during the spring: he needed somewhere to store it. Anyway, he has also cleared a number of areas that he “owns.”
We like to think that, once it becomes safe again to have company, we can do that without quite as much panic-cleaning as we did before.
Culture
I was going to write entertainment here, but culture sounds every so much more classy.
Before this year, our evening entertainment was mostly movies, watched at home. Only we would spend a good 1/2 hour trying to find a movie we could agree on, and I would usually have to cut it short because of work the next day.
Right before our libraries closed this spring, I checked out several DVD sets of TV series, and this has changed our evenings for the better. A TV series, especially one with many seasons, keeps us busy for months. No more trying to figure out what to watch. We enjoy the character development that unfolds over time.
Poldark took us through August, then we watched Rome (not safe for young eyes) in the fall. We started another series, but interrupted it to join the rest of the country in watching The Queen’s Gambit. When we finish our current series, probably in February, we will have to see what’s next.
That was a longer summary than I expected, but considering that 2020 seemed to last several years, I suppose I had a lot to consider.
I hope that you had something good to look back on for 2020. Drop a note if you feel like sharing. Here’s to a better year in 2021!