The 2020 Good Stuff List
Yesterday, I shared a certainty: the dawn of 2021 will not erase the pall of 2020. It’s a sentiment that may ring hopeless, until you remember that good, beautiful, and true things often cut through the clouds of 2020. And so, I invited you to create a Good Stuff list. Did you?
Today, I’m sharing my Good Stuff list, a recounting of the events, art, people, and places that made 2020 worth remembering.
The Good Stuff
1. I released my latest book, The Book of Waking Up: Experiencing the Divine Love That Reorders a Life. It’s a book about the concept of “inner sobriety,” and I painstakingly wrote over the course of three years. If you haven’t read it yet, it’d be a great way to kick off your 2021.
2. 21 years of marriage with Amber. She is my favorite.
3. My family was confirmed into the Catholic Church in the middle of COVID. As I wrote for America Magazine, it was preceded by a long season of uncertain. And when we were confirmed, there no Easter-Vigil fanfare. instead, it was a quieter entrance, with only 50 people in attendance. Small as it was, it felt right, maybe something like home.
4. I started podcasting with Tsh Oxenreider about sacramentality in everyday experience. I’ve resisted podcasting because I didn’t want to create content for the sake of creating content. This is the project that converted me. And I’ve loved every minute of it.
5. I read an amazing novel by David Mitchell, The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet.
6. I read this poem by John Blase: “Solstice 2020.”
7. The food at Atlas in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
8. Amber knitted a whiskey-colored winter hat.
9. One son learned to dunk. One son found ways to make his own money. One son began a research project on what science fiction novels teach us about humanity. One son—the youngest—began reading Jurassic Park.
10. love photography, and in January, I connected with Julie and Chad Cannon for a skinny minute. Julie documents her life with the Fujifilm X-T3, and she let me test drive it. I didn’t do the work to frame up a good shot, but I fell in love with that camera. It’s well designed, optically amazing, and the camera on sell-a-kidney-and-use-the-cash-to-buy-this list.
11. I took some a number of photos. Some I love. Some I hate. All were a thrill.
12. I learned to bake all manner of bread, and though we’ve bought a loaf or two along the way, it’s been mostly homemade since March.
13. I discovered I’ll be writing a book with Amber. Stay tuned.
14. The Expanse, Season 5.
15. The poetry of William Stafford.
16. The writing of Claire Messud.
17. The treasury of the Catechism.
18. The flash of the trout under the water.
19. The boy with the fly rod, making magic.
20. The farm with friends.
This was the list I wrote in less than thirty minutes. There are more, of course, but this is a pretty beautiful start.
What about you? What’s on your Good Stuff List for 2020? If you’re feeling bold, email your list to me. I’d love to read it.