So without further ado, the word of the year is unprecedented. How many times have you heard or used the phrase “ these are unprecedented times” this year? And it is true—these are unprecedented times.
It’s been gut-wrenching to watch so many people’s livelihoods and lives turned upside down this year. And the people we have lost. Most horrifically, George Floyd. He wasn’t famous and like so many black men in our society, he died before his time: too young and senselessly. He was murdered by a policeman in broad daylight while other officers stood by & watched and civilians caught it all on video for the rest of us to witness. What we witnessed was something the Black community knows too well: that this event was not unprecedented; that events like this (not always this drastic) happen too often and definitely disproportionately. It goes without saying that part of white privilege is that this is not our reality. I look forward to a time when events like George Floyd’s murder are unprecedented.
Okay, tough transition: the rest of this may not be much lighter, but it will be unprecedented. We also lost John Prine this year to COVID. I never get to see John Prine in concert again—Dammit. Worse, we don’t get a John Prine song trying to make sense of these unprecedented times.
On the brighter side [Insert In-Law Joke Here] there’s all the friends and family we don’t get to be with. But seriously, if your kids are lucky to have grandparents in their lives, the moments we have missed, we don’t get back. Parents see the flaws in their kids, especially now that we are stuck with each other for most of everyday. Grandparents see flawless humans who can do no wrong. Everyone deserves to have people like that in their lives and not just on ZOOM.
Yet, I have been amazed by these same kids’ ability to adapt to their new reality. One kid lost his tennis season, another her high school graduation—no bellyaching, no bitching; it’s been pretty remarkable. These are unprecedented times.
And then we had an election. It sort of feels like when I leave the grocery store. As soon as I get in the parking lot, I remove my mask. Gone is the nasty recirculated smell and taste of my own breath. I can breathe again. The election makes me feel like I can breathe again: fresher, cleaner air (thanks in part to COVID with less cars and planes moving about—the air is actually cleaner and fresher—at least in my mind).
And our President-Elect—Joe Biden—he actually WON the election. Making our current President the unPresident. These are unprecedented and unPresidented times. (See what I did there?)
But our new President is also showing leadership—remember that. Going about his tasks and completely ignoring the unPresident—how hard must that be, imagine the self-control and discipline that takes. (I know I couldn’t do it.) Leading by example. Not whining about the mess your predecessor has left you (and it’s quite a mess); focusing on what you can control and ignoring what you can’t. These are unPresidented times.
Our unPresident has basically given up. Except for pardoning whatever scoundrels he will pardon, his focus has mostly been on overturning the election—how democratic of him. If he handled COVID even competently, he would be President again and he almost won anyways. That is hard to wrap my head around. These are unprecedented times.
I try to imagine a meeting that probably won’t happen. No media bias here—just the facts. The unPresident and the President-Elect meet in the Oval Office. “You know, Joe, I actually won the election.” “No you didn’t, sir. It’s over and it’s time for you to leave.” “I’ll leave, but no way you will have near the crowd I had for my inauguration. Park Services has told me many times they have never seen such a huge, magnificent, patriotic crowd.” “For God’s sake, man, we are in a pandemic; I will be asking people to stay at home.” “Massive crowd—remarkable they still talk to me about it.”
Nothing magically changes as we move from 2020 to 2021, but certainly there is hope for a brighter year ahead. In 2021 our national nightmare will be over (I guess for some perhaps it will begin) as the UnPresident leaves office. There is no doubt some good things happened for our country and the world during his presidency, but mostly things got worse. In 2021, I look forward to a President that puts country before himself: a President with compassion and empathy. And, unlike the UnPresident, someone who doesn’t need to be the center of attention every single moment of every single day. It has been exhausting and I am ready for a break.
2021 also brings the promise of the Browns making the playoffs and a vaccine and the end of COVID. (Don’t ask me to choose which is best or most important.) I will get the vaccine when it is made available. For those who believe in conspiracy theories over science, perhaps 2021 will have a Darwinian survival-of-the-fittest component to it as well.
Our lives and the world have changed permanently. I don’t expect 2021 will bring about a return to our old world; we don’t need to Make America Great Again. We will be living in a “new-normal” (runner-up for word of the year). Here is hoping we leave these unprecedented times behind us. May 2021 be the year we return to precedented times.