We’d love to hear about moments during this past year that were meaningful for you. What are some standouts for you—for better or for worse—reflecting on 2021?

1. Being able to work flexibly has made a huge positive impact for me. I moved back home with my parents this year, and I’ve been able to spend more time with them than I ever thought I would again. My parents are immigrants and we don’t have any family close to us so being able to spend all this extended time with them has been really special. It turns out I actually like hanging out with my parents now that I’m not a moody teenager, who knew?
2. On a similar note, I’ve had so much more time to myself in general since I no longer have to commute as much and especially since I’m done studying for the CPA exam. I was already very much a homebody with old lady tendencies, but the pandemic really amplified that. Having time to get back into the hobbies I used to enjoy and spend more time with my pets and my friends has overall improved my mental health and wellbeing.
3. The last standout for me hasn’t happened yet, but I can’t imagine it won’t be the highlight of the year. I’m going to Disney with friends the last week of December; it’s something we’ve been planning for a while but covid got in the way of our initial plans. I’ve never been so I’m excited to finally experience it. (And to finally get out of the house after the last year and a half of quarantine).

I’ve learned this year more than any other year that it’s so important to be able to do what makes you happy. As I’ve gotten older I’ve noticed that life has a lot of completely arbitrary rules (this may or may not be a result of watching too much Curb Your Enthusiasm). Life is too short and you never know what changes it will throw your way – I think we’ve all learned that in the last two years. I want to spend my time doing what brings me the most happiness, and if that means being a lazy homebody, wasting 500 hours playing Animal Crossing while my bunnies chew everything in sight to shreds, then that’s what I’m going to do! As long as you aren’t hurting yourself or anyone else, you do you.