Advent Blog Day 31: The Year in Review NOOOO!!!

I don't think anyone wants a year in review of this year.

Wildfires, a pandemic, lock downs, riots, biological sex deniers, the orange guy, social media censorships, book burning, increased hatred towards women, conspiracies both real and false, businesses closing, events cancelled, people dying alone, death and rape threats sent to prominent women who speak out, loss of loved ones, schools shut down, reunions and graduations and weddings and funerals cancelled, ugly masks that hide smiles, toilet paper and bread making supplies shortages, the erosion of women's rights, mental health and abuse issues from isolation, tantrums from the orange guy... Unlike many people I did not have extra time on my hands. I was still working. And I accomplished nothing this year. No book was written. No book was published. I didn't learn an instrument or a language. I didn't get healthier. I didn't develop relationships. I'm not financially more stable. Even my reading and crafting was down.

Okay, I now got that stuff out of the way - let's look at the positive. What? Yes. There was some. In no particular order... -oh, and by the way, WARNING: I am going to get political here even though I generally avoid politics on my website. So if you want to send me death threats because you disagree with me, then you are more than welcome to move on and cuddle your cat - just don't cuddle the cat in anger at me. Be nice. All right, here we go...

Trump's defeat in the American election. Sure he put up a fight and fought to get rid of

democracy by trying to get people's votes thrown out, but other than that, once it was decided that Biden won, suddenly Trump just wasn't relevant anymore. No one cared what he said or did. Or at least I didn't. And it's my list, so that's what matters.

Keira Bell's historic win in the courts of England. For those who don't know, Keira Bell is a young woman who took testosterone to become a man and then realized that she was making a BIG mistake. But you see, she was underage when she made the mistake so she went to court to fight for kids who might make the same mistake - because they're too young to make a life-long irreversible decision. The courts saw sense in this and made it illegal for children under 16 to transition in England. I'm hoping that Canada and the rest of the world comes to this realization. Now I know many people don't agree with me on this, but if you give children the power to change their sex under pressure from adults, then who's to say they can't consent to sex under pressure from adults. (Note - I don't think you can change your sex but you can certainly do damage to your body). We need to stop sterilizing children and doing medical experiments on them. To me this is a win - and it's my list. Sadly for Keira she can't grow back the breasts she had cut off, she will contend with ongoing health and fertility problems, she will still have facial hair and a deep voice - things she no longer wants - all which could have been avoided if there had been adults in the room that had said "wait until you're an adult" which is what parents and doctors and educators are supposed to do. Kiera Bell is a hero for putting herself out there amidst all the hate.

JK Rowling spoke out for women's rights! It's good to have a celebrity making sense instead of

giving into pressure to stay popular. JK is a woman I look up to immensely, as a writer, as a woman, and as a philanthropist. She has always been supportive of women and children. And yes, people will hate me for standing for women, but it's my list and people are welcome to make their own lists. Like I said, if you're mad at me, go cuddle your cat.

Kamala Harris became the first woman vice-president. It's about friggin' time. Sure she tried running for president and had to bow out due to running out of money for her campaign - but second place isn't bad. Hopefully she will speak for women and not turn her back on them. Biden is not a woman's friend. Yes, I know this is another American thing - but the stuff the downstairs neighbors do, affect us up here in the penthouse.

And yes, I know there are people out there that hate the idea of a woman (gasp) being a vice-president. Go cuddle your cat.

Working from home became a thing. Sure the lock downs suck, but working from home is now considered a viable option. Businesses are discovering that people can work from

home and it's great for those who want to, like moms with kids, or people like me who don't want to get dressed every single day.

Some businesses may even decide that it's cheaper for them and less overhead to not have big offices and people in cubicles. I was already working from home, but if I switch jobs, I would still like to work from home. I like the commute, I like the dress code, I like the office rules, I like the manager of this particular location.

People developed respect for medical personnel, caregivers, grocery store clerks, and teachers due to lock downs. Turns out it wasn't the millionaires that were important. It was the front line workers, educators, and the minimum wage earners who mattered. Who knew?

We learned how to bake bread. I baked bread. Previously I was never successful at baking bread.

We were all in this together. Whether we were rich or poor, famous or obscure, in North America or Europe or Asia or Australia or Africa - we were all in this together. And yes, it's cliché. And yes there are those who we keep dragging from the front door because they keep trying to escape, but we're still in it together even if we're kicking and screaming about it.

My son moved back from the east coast. I haven't seen him yet because of lock downs. (That broke my heart) It's been years but he's just across the water from me

and I'm hoping to see him and his family soon. I have such lovely grandchildren. I

know - this has nothing to do with you but again, it's my list.

The world is still turning. It's still growing. It's still providing us with life and love and possibilities. We still have hope and vaccines are on the way.

I wish everyone a Happy New Year. May we all have a year of love, growth, health, harmony, and financial stability.