2020 is a year we will never forget. It reminds me of the opening lines in Charles Dickens’ novel A Tale of Two Cities:
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.”
We have weathered a global pandemic, racial unrest, national division, and a economic downturn. These tragedies affect us all in different ways and we each have different perspectives which makes our experiences deeply personal.
2020 has also brought us closer together and has opened our eyes to what’s most important.
For me, I spent the year painstakingly creating community for my children. Once I made sure we were physically healthy, I created a network of friends to help protect their socio-emotional health.
When the pandemic hit, I looked more closely at this team on Arete that we have worked so hard to create for the last 5 years, and I feared our dreams were slipping away. But then I saw the opposite. Our running dreams would be redefined with a true sense of community support.
As I was pouring my heart into creating community for my own family, it opened my eyes to how important community is for our team of women. I hope that your BQ chasing, your postpartum return, your sunrise run, your breakup survival routine is not done in isolation. My hope is that you feel the support and strength of community the same way my kids have felt the support of the families who lift them up this year.
On the eve of a new year, I believe we are in the season of hope and a time of light.
If 2020 was our season of despair, then let’s go into 2021 with the momentous opportunity to seize new beginnings.
My invitation and commitment to you in 2021 is to feel the authentic support of our team as you chase your goals. We have proven that we can weather the worst of times and keep going, stronger than before. We will come through this–I am sure of it.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart to our teammates and leaders for believing in our community. I can’t imagine a better group of women to tackle challenges and move into a new year.
Cheers to 2021 and onward.
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