Author: Lisa Tomey-Zonneveld

As part of an exercise from Jena Schwartz I made a list of 20 Things of My Truths About 2020. This exercise helped me and maybe you will see why or how. And I invite you to do this, as well.

1. Introspection – 2020 gave me more time for naval gazing, getting in touch with the soul.
2. Creativity – 2020 gave me more time to work on creative pursuits.
3. Social Interactions with the World – 2020 provided a new adventure with seeing outside of the local. With the beauty of zoom meetups I was able to meet people I have now established positive relationships with and they are not just in the U.S.
4. More poetry meetup times to share via open mics. Always good to interact with other poets. It inspires me.
5. Getting out of my comfort zone and discovering I still have it – at my age, I wonder, at times, what I have to offer the world. I was trying to think of ways to reach out with other poets. I used to do public speaking. This was before the internet. Enter the modern age and podcasting. I started a podcast to help other poets get their work out there and it has been a blast. I am not so sure I would have gone this route if I had not been locked down. It was something I thought about, but actually doing it has been huge.
6. 2020 has brought my family closer. While at times it can feel a bit crowded, with two adults working from home and daughter working on projects, it can get tight. But we have fallen into a routine and it is getting less stressful. I love having lunch with my family and them being available.
7. 2020 helped me discover I could help another poet get published.
8. My TV time has been drastically cut. And this is a good thing and one of the reasons why the other items have happened.
9. Exercise has increased, primarily getting 2-3 walks in per day and this is because we walk now in the mornings since there’s no place to be, so no time on the road. We walk at night to close out the day. And I generally walk to go get the mail.
10. 2020 has improved with my focus on my health.
11. 2020 has helped me settle in to what I need and want to do with writing.
12. Honestly, I miss the coffee shop where I would go read mostly and sometimes write and just sit in the red chair by the window and eavesdrop. 2020 helped me appreciate this more.
13. 2020 has seen me get published more in journals, etc. and it even got me a couple of jobs from home, namely editing and judging a contest.
14. 2020 has been the year to analyze how I really feel about certain things, values, etc.
15. 2020 has helped me recognize even more that to see the change I have to be the change.
16. 2020 has shown me which relationships to value and which were never meant to be long term. It was a time for letting go and a time to show appreciation for the good stuff.
17. 2020 has had me thinking outside the norm and seeking my muse, even more.
18. 2020 has had more nighttime visits from my muse.
19. 2020 has helped me value what is most important and let go of any unneeded things. While this has been something I have worked on before, it has become even more apparent.
20. 2020 has helped me realize that at my age there is not time to be frivolous with my time and to work on not fearing my age but celebrating the possibilities it brings.