Brianna Rice-Dietz, Gilpin County. For many, a crazy year is quite an understatement but that is what this year has truly been. From a very famous basketball player dying to a virus that has trapped us inside. It is not exactly what many thought it was going to be. At the beginning of the year, many thought a new decade was a new start and that it would be a fantastic year. Where everything was going to go great and the world would change astronomically. Well, they were right about one thing, the world did change. Just not in the way that it was expected.

In March we got the news that there was a virus out there and schools were expected to make a plan. Up here in the mountains, some were not concerned that it would even reach us. The news was quite sudden that we would have to shut down. Everything still was crazy, and all the kinks had to be worked out. The plan had to work because there was nothing else to do. So, kids were sent home and it felt like the whole world had just shut down in an instant. Everything was about to change. 

From masks and social distancing to no gatherings. The year would truly be one to remember, maybe not for the best reasons. Once the world was allowed to slowly re-open. The masks were weird at first but slowly everyone got used to them. It calmed for a little while but now it is coming back and stronger than ever. It is like a hurricane. The eye of the storm is calm but then another round is upon us.

Another thing that happened this year is the Black Lives Matter protests. I do agree with their fight for equality. Just not with all of their actions. Fighting for equality is a fight that has been going on for centuries and will continue for many more. Though if the fight is given up then it could go very backward. It’s like the saying he who shall not learn from history is bound to repeat it; that may not be word for word, but the sentiment speaks volumes.

Then we have the presidential elections. They were completely insane this year. Though I will not get into my political views, I don’t plan on upsetting anyone. The last thing we needed this year was for the presidential elections to be crazy. But why not just add all of it in and add a cherry on top. 

This year has created some great memes and some crazy conspiracy theories as well. One I find funny is that we are all stuck in a big game of Jumanji. Though I do think it would be fun to yell Jumanji at the end of the year. Another is that when New Year’s Eve instead of turning 2021, 2020 will continue. Or the one that depicts kids studying 2020, and needing to highlight the whole book for all the important events. Though they are fun to read, it is not always the most believable. There are many, many more out there. 

This year has not all been bad. The howling at the moon was quite fun. Finding ways to still celebrate safely. The weather at Halloween and Thanksgiving. Though the year was not even close to what was expected it did have some high points. There were many things that happened this year but to cover them all would require an entire newspaper!

This year has been a crazy one. Whether it was a great year for you, or you want it to just be over with. There is one thing we can all agree on, this year was unique on so many levels. I hope that the rest of the year treats you well. I realize that this is a little long but to fit in what needed to be said it had to be. There was a quote that said, “I am sorry this letter is so long I did not have the time to write a shorter one”. There are many different versions, the base of the quote is very true. I believe that is all I want to write, for now, have a good rest of your year.

(Originally published in the December 17, 2020, edition of The Mountain-Ear.)