Paul Richardson: Well, how did that work out?

 

It was at the beginning of 2020 when I commented about how I seldom, bordering on the edge of never, made resolutions. I went on to state some decisions about 2020 in which I was turning a page, so to speak, and was committing to changing some of my lifestyle to reflect better decisions that would in turn be beneficial to my health. That is long and round-about way of stating that I was going to lose weight!

I also committed to checking back in with my readership as to my progress in this area. Then came the coronavirus, followed by lockdowns, isolation, disruptions to our regularly scheduled routines, and then a “Sahara Dust” storm. 

When the dust came, I told the good wife, “This is not going to be good.” I have always, to the best of my knowledge, been asthmatic, to the point where I am now diagnosed with COPD. 

Once the dust got into my lungs, getting it out would be a problem. I was careful, but the dust was everywhere. I knew when I had ingested some and could feel the weight in my breathing. 

Then came the bronchitis, a trip to the doctor, a round of antibiotics, lung x-rays, a diagnosis of pneumonia, more antibiotics and three weeks of illness that seemed like it would never end.

Finally, the pneumonia was over. Hey, I was twenty-eight pounds lighter than I was at the beginning of January. Not the way that I wanted to get there, but let’s just roll with this. Then our one source of isolated entertainment was inundated with political ads. Election day was a welcome sight as that would put an end to the ads, only to be transformed into a conflict that seemed to have no end. 

The year continued to unfold, things got better, things got worse, better, worse, better, worse, “Joy to the world, was a beautiful girl, but to me Joy only meant sorrow.” Thank you, Harry Nilsson, for customizing these lyrics for 2020 in review. (Unless you are a Harry Nilsson fan or are willing to do some research, this may be lost on you. My apologies.)

Here we are a week plus into 2021 and this year is taking on a complexion that doesn’t reflect improvement over 2020. I am certain that we have several, and I mean several, more months during which we will continue to deal with the virus. 

In addition, the political and cultural unrest that mushroomed into full view during 2020 has exposed itself already in the New Year. In this division, neither side has an exclusive on nuts, but someone is playing each side against the other. There is always a motivator and someone, somewhere, has determined that they will benefit through this process.

I have said my piece. I will stop now, but going back to where 2020 began, I am twenty pounds down from the mark on the doorpost one year ago. So, how did that year work out for you?

(Paul Richardson's column, The Horse I Rode In On, is published weekly in the Neosho Daily News, Seneca News-Dispatch, Aurora Advertiser and on the Turner Report.)