Initially, the usual New Year’s resolutions were coming into full effect; nothing too strange had changed.

Then, on January 26th reports of a famous basketball player’s death in a helicopter – not just any player – hall of famer Kobe Bryant, his daughter and 8 other passengers were lost aboard the chopper. That changed everything; not one single person could imagine Kobe dying so young – let alone in a crash. Right then, people believed 2020 was already the worst year.

Then came March and an unfamiliar uproar of the coronavirus pandemic – the stay at home order, the shutdown, the mandatory quarantine closed schools and restaurants. Only grocery stores and essential services were allowed to stay open. This horrible pandemic was no joke. The disease killed over 20,000 people and wasn’t stopping anytime soon at all.  Hospitals were overwhelmed with sick patients. Loved ones were forced to say last goodbyes – a heartbreaking time.

Amongst the many things due to the pandemic, the economy crashed – so many people without jobs  was a hard time for Americans. Time went on – summer came –  hand sanitizer and masks became the new everyday normal, but so did revelations of killing innocent people of color.

Police brutality has been around for years but as a people it has reached new heights. Starting with Ahmad Aubrey an African American male killed. Unjustifiably cornered and killed for running in his own neighborhood. Then Breonna Taylor, a woman of color, who laid sleeping while police officers granted a no-knock warrant to the wrong house – a protective boyfriend of the woman who believed intruders were attempting to break into the home – began firing. The officers unknowingly fired back not able to identify anyone or see anyone – shot and murdered Breonna Taylor in her sleep inside of her own home.

Charges were given, but none of which were because of the murder of the young lady at all. But the pinnacle of it all was the murder of George Floyd Black, a male who was apprehended for on the belief that he attempted to buy something with fake bills. Instead of placing him in the squad car, he was placed on the ground to be compliant – was placed in an unfamiliar choke hole where the officers knee pressed into Floyd’s neck for 7 minutes and 46 seconds – leaving him unconscious and, ultimately, dead.

Once word got out, the city of Minneapolis went into flames – literally! Riots broke out in anger: destroying buildings, looting, total destruction. But not only Minnesota, all over the country looting and riots were trending everywhere and lasted weeks.

As the year continued, politics played a huge part including President Trump already knowing of the pandemic months before the outbreak in America but doing nothing to stop it and being impeached.

With the election rolling around quickly – mail-in ballots were encouraged due to the pandemic which were believed, by some, to be tampered with leading to the unreal act of a president insisting votes stop being counted  mid-count. Finally, it was concluded Joe Biden will become the 46th president officially after Trump filed lawsuits and wanted a recount.

But that’s the timeline of 2020 – a hectic and lesson-giving year – one for the record books, but don’t forget COVID isn’t going anywhere after recent rising cases in December.

So, will things ever go back to normal? Is this really the new normal? Can things get any worse?

All I ask is: 2021 be nice to us; we’ve been through a lot.