From the beginning to the near end, 2020 has been a whirlwind of a year. Let’s unfold all this year had to offer in an open letter, to say goodbye and good riddance.

Dear 2020,

If year’s were people, you’d be the most disliked person in the world. You would be the type to make little kids purposefully cry, or run over an animal with no remorse. You’ve lingered on for what feels like an eternity, kind of like a piece of gum that doesn’t want to come off your shoe, or a red wine stain on a brand new, stark white shirt.

Some have joked about you becoming your own “Jumanji” game, with new horrors released every month, or like the “Hunger Games”, where we all must fight through constant barriers in order to survive. I for one agree with these correlations, because to be very frank, you have been a bit too much to handle, 2020.

You absolutely loved throwing curveballs at every single person this year, yet the reason for it all is still unknown. You’ve given yourself a reputation of what some would classify as “the hardest year of their lives”. From Jan 1 up until this point where you’re almost at the end, you have made it your mission to fill this year with a lot of loss, hardships, and new environments that nobody imagined they would ever have to be in. 

As you can tell, 2020, I am not your biggest fan in the slightest. I think this letter speaks for most of the population when I say that you have simply packed too much change into such a short period of time. However, with the good always comes the bad, and I think as we reach closer and closer to your farewell, the messages behind what you have caused are making a bit more sense.

You started the year off by dropping a massive bomb on the world’s population, with the announcement of NBA legend Kobe Bryant’s sudden death, letting the world know of a Ukranian plane crash that killed 176 people, and how could I forget about the introduction to the COVID-19 pandemic: an issue we are still facing as I write this letter. (By the way, I 100 percent blame you for all of the vacations, birthdays, and movies I have missed this year because of the pandemic).

In February and March, you probably said to yourself, “Let’s keep the sad train going!” as the world found out about the massive shooting in Milwaukee and the air attack in Turkey that resulted in the deaths of 33 Turkish soldiers. Nice of you to give one of the most struggling countries in the world some more damage, real nice. 

From the end of March into April, May, June, and July, you did one solid thing for the first time in awhile by letting kids complete school online, at the expense of the pandemic slowly becoming more dangerous. To be honest, I don’t know whether to thank you or to hate you, but it’s safe to say the odds are not in your favor right now. The spring and summer seasons didn’t stop you from wreaking havoc. The virus became even more lethal and death tolls continued to rise, which was typical behavior from you at this point.

I think I am done piling on the hate for you 2020, but you get the gist: every month has been filled with more and more things to be sad about, not to mention we have had to isolate ourselves for most of the year as it is. I didn’t even get close to listing all that has occurred this year, which really goes to show how much we have all endured.

Despite everything you have put the world through 2020, here I am trying to find the good amongst the bad, even for a year as heartbreaking as you. Every month people spent in quarantine, or sick with the virus, or grieving the loss of a loved one, or spending their birthday alone because of quarantine, we all learned one thing: never take for granted those small things life gifts to us everyday, for we never know when it will all be taken away from us.

You taught me how to cherish the moments when I was allowed to breathe without a mask on or given the opportunity to hug and kiss the people I love. You taught me that being forced to be alone for such a long time gives people the chance to truly figure out who they are, who they want to be, and the people they want to surround themselves with. You taught me that change can be good, even if it is mandatory. And most of all, you taught me that you can meet the most unexpected people during the most unexpected of times, and learn to love them like no other. 

But hey, don’t get it twisted! You have brought a lot of tears, frustration, and loneliness out of me and millions of others. That doesn’t mean that the world won’t forgive you, as long as you ensure that most of us will make it through it. While you currently may be the most disliked year to exist, maybe if you end it with a bang, (a good one, not a literal one for the love of God), your reputation will become just a bit better.

I guess what I am trying to say is yes, you have been the worst year. But in some ways, I think you have also been the most beneficial. Every story has a villain, and you just happen to be the villain in this story. But, the Grinch’s heart eventually grew three sizes, and yours can too. 

We appreciate the life lessons you have taught us, even if we learned the hard way. Just do us all a favor and least give us a nice Christmas, and let the rest of this month go smoothly.

Farewell 2020.

Love your frenemy,

Yana