As we turn the corner on 2020 and breathe a sigh of relief (and jump up and down inside!), there is much to reflect on this year we passed. Unprecedented may be the word of the year! A global pandemic brought all of our worlds to a halt while it brought the world closer together with one shared common experience. On the heels of this new vulnerability and awakened sensitivity (most likely because we were forced out of our comfort zone), we witnessed far too many killings of black people at the hands of police and the urgent need to deal with racial inequality in the United States. Mass protests through the summer led to a fall election with overwhelming participation, and now more division than ever over the outcome. These have been both scary and deeply reflective times. With wearing masks in public, having to isolate, fearing an elderly loved one will get sick and not knowing what the future holds, I can’t imagine a person who hasn’t spent time thinking and re-thinking the reality we are living in.

Personally, there have been some key takeaways and special memories I will carry with me into the new year… I grew more appreciative of my spouse during the March-May lockdown having to spend more time together and forced to move beyond our usual irritations of one another. He built a treehouse for our boys – with his own two hands! Greenhouse in the works! I heard the birds singing more resoundingly and learned to look longer through the morning fog.

We watched our goat Magdalena give birth to two baby boys, Cody and Brody; and got our new puppy, Lily. We became closer with our small social pod of friends over the summer spending almost every weekend together. Those memories are precious! I learned that I cannot tutor my 12-year-old son and that I want to hold onto every cute moment of my 3-year-old before he grows out of this phase.

I made more art than ever before and so enjoyed not commuting to work. Our Numi team came together like no other time. I treasure the difficult conversations we had on race, getting to know my fellow co-workers better because of that and the collaborative spirit we built through all the work we accomplished and challenges we faced through this difficult year. I spent the past two months with my parents, brother, sister, nephews and niece – the longest I’ve been with them in over 20 years! While sometimes difficult, I’ve so enjoyed being with them. And, the long period pushed me to see and confront familial patterns.

My husband and step-son went to Morocco during this time and my husband, who has a heart condition, contracted Covid. Of course, I was very worried about him. While he was hit hard for two weeks with most of the symptoms, he made it through. I was reassured by his unusual calm and optimism versus his general sense of worry. Hoping he takes that learning with him into the new year.

Many have not been so lucky… lost loved ones, jobs, new and old businesses and their livelihoods. Many have felt more isolated than ever and fallen into depression or worse. I lost my uncle and his wife in Iraq who died 4 days apart due to Covid. So, this year has been a disaster for many and we are, literally, holding our breath for this year to end, the pandemic to be over, for the vaccine to be administered, to take off our masks and go back to our normal lives.

I hope that we can at least carry the learnings, the things we are grateful for and the need for human connection forward into the new year. I have faith that optimism will outshine skepticism, and that our common suffering will melt away what divides us. I am excited by the revelations on how we can work and the effects that has on our climate!!! This time of pause has given us many moments to meditate and reevaluate, to be open to uncertainty and present with what is, and to transform difficulty into something good.

I wish you all a very healthy and happy new year filled with intentions made manifest!

As we turn this sharp corner into 2021, I wish us all a positive reset, an awakened sense of purpose and a deepening of joy and appreciation of the little things in life.

Happy and Healthy 2021!

Reem Hassani
Co Founder & Chief Brand Officer, Numi