2020 - A Year of Pivots

Have you ever watched a movie trailer, then watched the movie and it was totally different than you thought it would be?

This was OUR 2020. Although the outcomes were nearly the same, the path to get there for Sam and I was not. And I'm sure we are not alone! Between COVID and other life events there were a number of interruptions along the way. I write this article NOT to dread the losses and celebrate the wins, but rather to reflect on the year and learn from the experiences in an effort to have a great 2021. I hope you learn with us as we reflect on this past year!

January: Kobe Bryant Passed

I remember exactly where I was. My family and I were at Men's Warehouse getting fitted for our wedding tuxes. To be honest, I don't think any of my brothers had been in a suit before so this was a huge day for us! About 15 minutes in, one of my brothers turned to me and said, "Devyn, Kobe died."

I half thought he was joking, but as I looked on social media it became real. In the past couple years I have come to respect and learn so much from Kobe's mentality and work ethic. It took quite a few days to process.

Lesson: Life is short. It’s not what you have but how others remember you that matters.

March: COVID-19

The week when our world shut down was something out of a movie. It all culminated with Sam and I in our Civil War Reconstruction class. Half of the class showed up and by the end of the period we were all sent home to do school remotely. Little did we know this would be the last time we would be on campus.

Lessons: 1) Change is inevitable. We have to be willing to adapt to circumstances.

2) Family and health is wealth. Take care of those or all the money in the world means nothing.

April-May: Wedding Planning & Quarantine

After getting sent home from school we moved back to our hometown for the first time in almost 4 years. Throughout it all we had to plan our wedding for June and honestly we had zero clue if that was possible. We prayed about it and did the best we could to keep our spirits up.

Through it all we were quarantined, didn't see family or friends much, and then the death of George Floyd culminated into our optimism and attitude being uncharacteristically low.

Lesson: 1) Self-care is super important. Call and tell loved ones how much you appreciate them often.

2) Control what you can control. For us having the right attitude and being optimistic help our spirits tremendously.

June: Graduation, Wedding, New Jobs, New Place

This was hands down the craziest month of our entire lives. We got the go ahead to have our wedding and we were so pumped! Within a 30-day window we were graduating, starting our careers, moving, and getting married.

To be honest, it was an entirely chaotic time period but we learned so much about ourselves and what we were capable of in the process. And in the end we had a beautiful wedding that we will never forget!

Lesson: Craziest month of our lives. We will most likely never go through a month like this again. Lots of milestones we are very grateful for. Chaos builds you. Learn to enjoy that discomfort.

July: Post Wedding Settling

We went on a weekend getaway to Door County, WI. Absolutely amazing place to be during the summer. Our first time did not disappoint!

We spent the rest of the month getting settled into our lives and prepared ourselves for the future ahead.

Lesson: Be present. Enjoy those moments along the way. And WI summers of course! ??

August: Brother tests positive COVID

My youngest brother David tested positive for COVID. Obviously we were all concerned, but gratefully he was only sick for a handful of days and recovered well.

The bigger pain point was that my family was in quarantine for 6-weeks and we could not see them during that time. Family is a really big value of ours we love to exercise and losing that access was challenging for us.

Lesson: Don't take family time for granted. While you are with them be present and love on them.

September - October: Officially Graduated

After graduating without a commencement ceremony in May we finally got to walk across stage.

This was a cool moment for us because we worked very hard in college and to close that chapter with family was special for us.

Lesson: Be sure to celebrate your wins. Even if the timing is off.

November: Grandpa Tony Passes

This was not an unexpected moment for us. Grandpa Tony was ill for almost a year and we were prepared.

But the most amazing part of this experience was that he maintained a happy and humorous spirit throughout. On his last day he made sure to ask me if I was going to play in the Masters some day. (If anyone knows my golf game, a couple decades of work on my game wouldn't be enough.)

Lesson: It doesn't matter what your circumstances are. We have full control of our attitude and level of optimism.

Although 2020 was not the year we anticipated or planned for, we feel very blessed for the time we got with loved ones and the new perspectives we have gained.

As we go into 2021, let's look back and learn from the troubles thrown our way in 2020. And celebrate the wins we found along the way. Let's make 2021 a year to remember! ??

Love,

Devyn & Sam Zillmer ??????

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#MoreThan #Zdifferent ??? out 2020!