4th day of January...2021

Hello there,

Here we are at the beginning of a new year. So much commentary has been made (social media, media, everywhere really) about 2020 vs. 2021 and when midnight struck...I didn't feel a difference.  For the first time this year (ha!) I wrote 2021. I don't feel different today either. Everything is as it was. Everything is as I expected.

I did miss the family annual trek to the coast on New Year's Day.  It has been a tradition with majestic views of the Pacific Ocean, the smell of salt air, usually some delicious bread and cheese with us wrapping up somewhere for a hot bowl of clam chowder. With everything on lock down we figured it would be more frustrating than it was worth - looking for food - looking for restrooms. So we stayed at home.  And it was OK.

Today it is raining here in Northern California. I went to work. Traffic was normal. I'm still wearing a mask. I'm social distancing.  I'm using hand sanitizer. I'm over washing my hands.

I've been focusing on how to make this year better than the last.  Isn't that what we should be doing every year though? How about every day? We've all been hit with curveballs - some harder than others. Rather than look back at a year full of challenges I have chosen to pull out the things that actually made life better. The key will be, once things are "back to normal" how we use what we've learned to keep some of the gems we unearthed. If we all fall back into the same patterns, the same schedules and the same mindsets have we learned anything? I plan to fight to keep the good that came of 2020 and honor that over the stress, pain, aggravation and upheaval of the year. 

One of the items that is high on my list is creating. I love to cook and I get to do it every day (I don't get too many days off and that's OK). Cooking is creating even though it is a short lived creation.  I love to brew beer.  I've often said that brewing is an extension of cooking except you can reach a larger audience and over time. I haven't brewed beer for far too long - it has probably been over an year. Music tops my list of creative endeavors, but it involves more time and more effort over an extended period of time. It is what I plan to do this year - more music. I have other hobbies, but if I can brew some beer and write some songs I'll deem 2021 successful. 

Wishing you and yours a very Happy New Year!

Mark Harvey