{"id":6417,"date":"2020-12-26T18:58:57","date_gmt":"2020-12-26T18:58:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gordfunk.com\/?p=6417"},"modified":"2023-02-27T23:06:31","modified_gmt":"2023-02-27T23:06:31","slug":"2020","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gordfunk.com\/2020\/","title":{"rendered":"2020 – Best Year Of My Life"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
What a year this has been. For so many in the world – one to forget.<\/p>
My experience is the opposite. This year was full and rich – enough so that I’ve been inspired to dig through the pictures of the year and add some memories. I’m blessed to live with a woman who has made the study of her life into a valuable resource for others <\/a>and some of her experience has rubbed off on me. If this year, on reflection, leaves me with an abiding sense of gratitude, then perhaps it’s worth looking closer to see what makes it so, and to use this as a basis for 2021.<\/p> What’s immediately strikes me is how long<\/i> this year has been. As I looked through the photos, I thought, “Surely this happened last year”. But no, less than 12 months ago, bush fires raged through Australia. What happened between those times and the COVID-tinged present is what inspired me to honour the many moments of grace and beauty in my life this year.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t The year started slowly, as tends to be the case when winter has its grip on you. Life is indoors, apart from the odd outdoor run. We compensated by trying out different restaurants and food genres – Japanese being a favourite shared by everyone in the family.<\/p> Jan was also the start of what turned into a failed attempt at a sub 3 hr marathon. Naively (at that time), I still thought that the world was going to be the same, and that I would be heading down to Boston to run in April, so the formal running training began on Dec 31 (close enough to 2020).<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t Winter was winter, and much of it was a bit brutal for a guy who considers himself a solar-powered runner (that’s me, in case you weren’t sure…) However, it was also the time that Piper and I flew out to Australia, because we were being forced to sell our house in Gembrook<\/a> or risk having to pay an extra $150k in capital gains. There was a fair bit to do, clearing out all our stuff from the shed we had built to house it. Much of the stuff went through Samara’s garage and on to other people, and some was sold. Interesting to think that we’re a lot lighter in possessions now that we were at the start of the year.\u00a0<\/p> We also went to a family wedding up in QLD, and much fun and chaos ensued. Unfortunately, my pictures of this time are a bit scattered (IE, lost in the ether).<\/p> And yes, the running was beautiful change – from -25C and snowy to a hot and humid 28C!<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t March saw Piper and I fly down to Melbourne, where we spent the time living out of Pippa and Poppa’s house. Was so good to be together with this crew – crazy people all in their own way!<\/p> Highlights from this time include spending time with friends all around town, cleaning up and selling\/giving away far too much stuff. Lots and lots of running on some familiar trails in Melbourne, and some that were new to me. I enjoyed running in the hills around Gembrook, training runs on the 1000 steps, and seeing some of my clients.<\/p> Looking at the elevation profile of the first half of the year, you can tell which parts of the world are flat and which are not!<\/p> There was some drama around coming home. I was supposed to attend a citizenship ceremony, but with Covid starting to show its teeth, every second day brought another notification from immigration that the ceremony was being pared back. Finally, on the Sat morning before I was about to leave for Canada, the text came that the event was cancelled. I immediately called home, to see whether I should try to reschedule my flight and head out the next day. While I was negotiating this, my immigration officer rang and said that they were willing to hold a private ceremony for myself and one other woman from Germany – the other 998 people would have to wait. So – in a small office reminiscent more of a Vegas wedding than an official ceremony, the words were read, pledges pledged, and a dual citizen was I!<\/p> I remember coming home to -18C and a blizzard. Being jet-lagged, I thought I’d head out for a run at 3AM. I got all dressed up for the weather (ugh!) and opened the door. The wind blew the snow into my face, and I saw the snow highlighted by the street lamps. With a falling heart, I retreated into the warmth of the house…<\/p> \u00a0<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\tJanuary<\/h3>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
February<\/h3>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
March<\/h3>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t