A Year In Review
2020. The year that forced me to think outside of myself.
If I can salvage anything from this year, it’s that I now see the world from a much wider lens.
2020 began with a continent on fire, and yet, so many horrific catastrophes have occurred since then, that this feels like it happened a lifetime ago. We’ve all aged significantly this year.
But with age comes wisdom. Are there lots of idiots still roaming around? Yes, of course. Those who consider others “mindless sheep” for wearing a mask while they themselves don a cultist red cap, and varying degrees of this breed of person. People who think systemic issues will vanish now that a replacement is on his way also fit into this category.
We’ve realized that many celebrities are talentless, even more are thoughtless, and a few are particularly cruel. We’ve realized the same about some of our friends and family.
The sharpest double-edged sword that this year has bestowed upon many of us is the ability to look outside of ourselves. To finally pay attention to what’s been happening and continues to happen. How rampant and pervasive racism is in American society, how the pandemic has uncovered the truly ugly hearts of millions.
We’ve lost our loved ones, jobs, homes, health, and sanity.
The pain and loss we experience is incalculable.
And yet, we trudge on.
Because we have no choice. Nevertheless, we pick up our goddamn heels, day after day.
Imagine how resilient we’ve become. Imagine how resilient we’ll continue to become.
Stefania D'Andrea is a prose and comedy writer from Queens, NY. She is one of the original staff readers for the literary magazine Cagibi, where she edits and reviews works of fiction and non-fiction. Her first short story, In Her Head, is published in the 12th issue of Newtown Literary. Many of her comedy sketches have been performed at the People's Improv Theatre (PIT) in New York City in 2018 and 2019. Stefania received her B.A. in English, with a concentration in Creative Writing, from the Macaulay Honors College at CUNY Hunter in 2017.
