NOW this …. by Anjanette
NOW this …. by Anjanette
Pause and reflect.
Some will despise me for saying this, but I’m one of those people who love Monday mornings. I usually take a few minutes to analyze the last week, leave any shortcomings in the dust, and set new goals for the upcoming week. Regardless of how things end up, I figure, at least I start my Monday morning with a clean slate and make a valid attempt to stay focused.
With that being said, I also love the week between Christmas and New Years. Over the course of these days, I take a hard look at the year I’m leaving behind and do the same thing I do every Monday morning, but on a big-picture scale. When I rounded out my year last year, my boyfriend Jonathan and I learned that we would be welcoming our first child in August. So, like so many others, I thought, 2020 … here we come!
But little did any of us know what 2020 really had in store. By March, COVID-19 was more than just daily news. Restrictions on day-to-day life became reality, whether we liked it or not. Ski season was cut short by several consecutive, earlier-than-usual thaws, restaurants were switching over to take-out only, and toilet paper was flying off the shelves. Along with the rest of America, our spare room became a home-office, and Zoom calls forced us to look somewhat professional from the waist up.
April lockdown in my home involved daily dog walks, occasional fishing, Easter dinner for two, and a binge-watch of The Tiger King in one sitting. To protect our unborn baby, I took social distancing to the next level, which led to a spring of solitude. The month’s end marked my 35th birthday, a recommitment to my goals, and the first of many five-mile long hikes with Jonathan. There was no way I was letting 2020 defeat me.
The pools opening at Holiday Valley became a real treat for a pregnant woman who had been cooped up for a majority of the year. Although I was really showing by the Fourth of July, soaking up the sun with a virgin Strawberry Daiquiri poolside somehow felt like a vacation. Additionally, the real estate market shot through the roof when a few COVID-19 restrictions lifted. I showed my last home on August 7th, and welcomed our son Jackson on August 10th.
To celebrate Jackson’s one-month birthday, we took our first family hike together. Around Thanksgiving, I prayed for cold weather as I attached my season pass to my ski bibs and haven’t looked back. Although this year was far from ideal for so many of us - myself included - I was also blessed with a silver lining. But perhaps, you were, too?
MY 2020 TAKEAWAYS
In retrospect, this strange year allowed me and so many others who function at 100mph to really slow down – and I mean, slow down. I take a minute now to enjoy my morning coffee instead of rushing out the door. I give myself permission to relax when I have the opportunity to take a day off. I also learned that when you’re sitting around and feeling bummed out – move. Literally move your body. Exercise has always been, but really became this year, a free anti-depressant. For 2021, I’m keeping it simple: live a healthy lifestyle, stay disciplined in all that I do, and be the best mother I can be.
RESOLUTIONS FROM THE COMMUNITY
It’s easy to say that New Years is just another day, but now is a better time than ever to clean the slate. I asked a few of our community members what their thoughts on the coming year were, and what their resolutions might be.
A testament to her can-do attitude, Beverly Valencic was on the slopes when she said, “I don’t make New Years resolutions, because I choose a daily goal: to be aware of how my day ‘plays out.’ I will add that I admire Mother Nature each day, with her unique, daily, hour-to-hour, minute-to-minute characteristics.”
EBC’s Brewery Logistics Liaison Dan Minner says, “Hopefully we’ll be seeing a lot more of our Canadian friends. I’m ready for 2020 to be over!”
Seasonal resident Flite Freimann states that for 2021, “I want to be healthier, lose my quarantine weight, and enjoy all the sights and history of the area that I wasn’t able to see this year. There are so many things I didn’t appreciate until they were closed. Western New York is rich with history and culture, and I plan on seeing as much as I can in 2021.”
Debbie Fredrickson, Personal Trainer at Core Performance, isn’t a resolutions girl. “All or nothing doesn’t work. Just move forward, be a better person than you were yesterday, and reward yourself for progress.”
Local Brittany McDowell would like to have a more focused daily routine. “I have a daily plan of attack for work, but not for my personal time. For example, I’m pretty bad about sleeping in until the last minute which starts my day out with the wrong energy. 2020 has been chaotic and stressful. For 2021 I’d like to wake up earlier and have time to stretch a little and enjoy my coffee.”
Owner of EVL Events Sam Nelson is doing it a little differently in 2021.“I am intention-setting instead of making a New Year’s resolution. I plan on focusing on the things that bring me happiness. What has been going well for me, and what's been working to get me there. A couple of my intentions this year are to stop taking things so personally, and to accept myself as enough.”
Local resident and MSG employee Nick Sciara says, “My outlook I would say is the same as this year. I'm trying to be as healthy and active as possible. It’s really been working for me.”
NOW this: As we collectively and excitedly turn the page on 2020, I wish you all my very best for a happy and healthy New Year. Even if this year was a disaster, there is no better time than now to pause, reflect, and take advantage of the opportunity for a fresh start!
Anjanette Nicolazzo is a Team Writer for ellicottvilleNOW and a Real Estate Agent with ERA. Originally from Kane, PA, she relocated in 2009 and made Ellicottville her home. When she isn’t writing or selling property, you can find her on the slopes, showing her horse, and hiking with her dogs. She is passionate about the great outdoors and living a healthy lifestyle.
