5 of My Favorite Memories of 2020

Here we are at the start of 2021! Let’s be real, a lot of truly horrible things happened in 2020. For me, all the bad things made me appreciate the small good things that happened even more. Every time I got to go out and do things or see a friend I really felt the value of those experiences. Today I want to share some of the moments in 2020 that I am truly grateful for. These are five of my favorite memories of 2020.

2020 and Covid-19

2020 was a tough year for many of us. There were a lot of hard moments for me in 2020. I lost the income from my secondary job. I work as an essential grocery store worker and managing the public’s safety while being scared for my own was extremely stressful (and continues to be as cases rise). My partner and I have had to spend months without seeing each other in person because of the exposure risks associated with my job. At the same time, I know I am extremely lucky. I still have all my loved ones. My parents are able to work from home and haven’t lost much income.

I also want to recognize that I come from a place of extreme privilege as a white, straight, able-bodied individual. There are so many people who don’t have the privilege to write a post like this. I don’t want to take away from anyone’s struggles by making this post. My intentions come from a place of extreme gratitude for my experiences.

Introduction

For many reasons, 2020 will be a very memorable year for me. In a year full of so much bad, I want to try to focus on the little moments of good! I’d like to share with you five memories from 2020 that I am incredibly grateful for.

2020 had us inside so much that I really made the most of the few times I was able to go out. We were very fortunate in BC that our Covid-19 cases were really low during the Summer so we were able to do some local travel. Most of our travel was focused on nature and didn’t involve much contact with other people.

All of the traveling I did this year was either before Covid-19 restrictions, or while following all provincial and federal Covid-19 guidelines.

You can read more about the extra precautions I took during my traveling this Summer in my Canadian Rockies road trip itinerary.

I will be listing my favorite memories of 2020 in chronological order to help keep it clear what stage the world was in when they happened.

My 5 Favorite Memories of 2020

1. Seeing My Favorite Band in Concert

In January I was fortunate enough to get to see my favourite band, Alexisonfire, live for the first time! It was such an amazing experience.

Alexisonfire’s music really helped me through a tough time in my life. I thought I would never be able to see them live because they had disbanded in 2012. They reunited to play a few festivals and shows in recent years, but all their shows were international or on the East Coast until this one! This was also my first time participating in a proper mosh pit, and I have to say, it was like an out of body experience! It was probably the sweatiest I’ve ever been in my life (TMI). I can’t imagine ever doing that now with all the social distancing measures we’ve come accustomed to.

I am so grateful that this was my last concert experience before the onset on Covid-19. It is a memory I will treasure forever.

2. Watching the Sun Set from Bar Sixty-Five at The Rainbow Room, Rockefeller Center

My Last trip before the onset of Covid-19 restrictions was to New York City. We went in early February, before New York had recorded a single Covid-19 case. It’s hard to believe it became a Covid-19 hot spot less than a month later.

One of my favorite moments of the trip was my partner and I’s fancy date night. My partner came up with the genius (and romantic) idea to book us a table at Bar Sixty-Five at the top of the Rockefeller center right before sunset. Part of the famous Rainbow Room, Bar Sixty-Five has a panoramic view of the New York City Skyline.

Because we booked our table just before sunset, we were able to see the view in the daylight, during the beautiful sunset, and all lit up at night. The venue is very fancy and therefore quite pricey, but it was well worth it. We had some fancy cocktails and split a few appetizers (enough that we were reasonably full). The was no entrance fee for the bar, so we calculated that it would have been about the same cost for us to buy tickets for the observation deck and get a nice dinner as it was for us to have our moment of luxury in The Rainbow Room.

I love this memory because it felt like the kind of date the characters in a Romance movie would go on. In reality the bar was full of people trying to snap pictures of the sunset, me being one of them, but I still felt the movie magic.

3. Seeing Wild Mountain Goats in the Canadian Rockies

In the Summer, my partner and I took a road trip to Banff and Lake Louise. (You can read about our budget trip here) I was really excited about the opportunity for potential wildlife sightings. I’ve always wanted to see mountain goats in the wild.  Surprisingly, we were nearing the end of our trip and hadn’t had any big wildlife sightings yet. Our luck changed on our last full day of touring.

While driving back from Maligne Lake we saw two goats trotting down the middle of the road! We looked to the parking lot on our left and there was a whole herd of wild mountain goats! This was such an amazing sighting because we got to see the goats doing what goats like to do. They were hanging out eating grass and playing with each other, bucking their horns together. We had to slow right down because of the goats on the road so I was able to snap some pictures from the passenger seat.

4. Hiking During a Hail Storm

In the later part of the Summer, my partner and I went on a backpacking trip to Lake O’Hara. We were hiking the Alpine Circuit, on what started as a sunny day, when we started to hear thunder in the distance. Something I learned while traveling in the mountains is that the weather changes every 30 minutes! Sure enough, the clouds rolled in, but instead of rain, we started to be pelted with hail! It may not sound that bad, but hail hurts a hell of a lot more when you’re right below the clouds! It was like the sky was throwing little rocks at us. Fortunately, we were in an area at the time where large boulders had been deposited by glaciers. We took shelter in a little cave that was created by two boulders leaning on each other. It was an unforgettable experience.

I can’t tell you how many times as a child I saw a little cave like that and wanted a reason to hide in it. It was like living out a cute childhood fantasy that I never thought would come true. Sure enough, 30 minutes later the weather changed again and it was safe to continue hiking. The little storm also gave us the added bonus of this beautiful view of a double rainbow shown below. This was a hike I will never forget.
 

5. Surfing for the First Time in Tofino BC

My partner and I ended the Summer with a road trip to Tofino for our two year anniversary. For a celebratory spurge we got a private surfing lesson.

It was such a fun experience crossing surfing off my bucket list. Surfing was something that I had always wanted to do but that I was a bit scared to try. I would never have been able to try it on my own. I am so grateful to have a partner that encourages me to step out of my shell! It had been a long time since I’d had to learn such a new and unique skill. We spent most of the day laughing at our failed attempts to catch waves and our falls off our boards. By the end of the day I started to feel like I was really getting it. It was great to rediscover that feeling again!

This was one of my favorite memories of 2020 because it will always remind me of the joys that can come from trying something new.

Conclusion

Those were my five favorite memories of 2020!

I hope this inspired you to look back on your 2020 in a different light. 2020 taught me to be grateful for what I have, for the people that I love, and for the experiences I get to have. I will never take any of those things for granted again!

Share your favorite memories of 2020 below!

I’d love to know what you were grateful for this year! What were some of the good moments that got you through 2020? What did you learn about the world or about yourself this year?