My 2020 in Review

My year in review: getting an apartment with my middle brother as my roommate; finishing a second term of service as a VISTA for UMKC’s Propel program; finishing the KUMC Leadership and Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (LEND) certificate program; reforming and organizing the Kansas City League of Autistics, an advocacy organization that had not been active for over two years; walking almost every day I’m not working and losing at least ten pounds; adopting a kitten from KC Pet Project; finishing several of my short stories and submitting one to six different fiction magazines, with five rejecting me and one I haven’t heard back from; working on a novel everyday for at least three months hoping this time to actually finish it by the end of May next year and submit it to publishers; taking back my old job for the time being bagging at the grocery store while also being trained and working as a backup cashier until I find a more permanent job; getting in touch with old friends from high school; supporting people I care about who have been laid off during shutdowns; and that’s not to mention Biden winning the electoral vote and the discovery of a Coronavirus vaccine. My New Year’s Resolution (not that I have to wait until the new year to do this): finish my novel, finish several more short stories and get them accepted by magazines, and sell my crafts on Etsy. A new challenge lies ahead.

2Jed Shredwards and Lejohn-art Caldwell-roddy