2020 has been a wild ride. I don’t think anyone could have predicted the chaos and uncertainty of this crazy year. For many, it has been a tough year to keep a clear mind and keep thinking positively about the future because it feels as if we’re all collectively drowning and going more than a little stir crazy.
With Thanksgiving coming up, we thought it would be a great idea to highlight some of the things we can be grateful for despite this crazy year.
- Drive-in movie theaters made a comeback.
- Tiger King. Whatever that was.
- It was the perfect year for introverts.
- Taylor Swift dropped a secret album named Folklore that nobody was prepared for.
- We got hilarious zoom moments like this cute girl walking into her dad’s news session.
- We had more time to read, bake, and garden.
- Puzzles became fun again.
- Distilleries and major companies came together to produce hand sanitizer and masks when they were needed.
- We learned to really appreciate our teachers because homeschooling is HARD.
- People rediscovered their love of outdoor physical activities like hiking, biking, and roller-skating.
- We figured out how to keep romance alive during a pandemic with socially distanced wine tastings and Zoom paint nights.
- Wearing comfy clothes all the time became socially acceptable.
- Large retailers like Walmart and Thanksgiving will be closed on Thanksgiving for the first time in years, allowing their employees to spend time with family instead.
- The digital divide continues to narrow as programs like T-Mobile’s EmpowerED provided wireless solutions for students who had no connections at home previously. This was instrumental in allowing these students to continue education from home.
- Telemedicine appointment opportunities expanded throughout the country, allowing those who have a hard time attending normal appointments whether it be to location, condition, or generally laziness to be able to receive medical advice from the comfort of their own home.
- Less people had to commute which means less wasted time and energy.
- For many, this year and the lockdowns have led to them focusing on family togetherness and really getting to know and appreciate one another, both in the home and virtually.
- In many cities, there have been positive environmental impacts. With a greater number of people working from home, air quality has improved.
- Pet adoption rates soared. More cute animals finding their forever homes is always a good thing.
- The world came together to develop vaccines in record time.
Although this year has had more than its fair share of ups and downs, heartbreak and sorrow, I’d like to focus on #20, how the world came together to develop vaccines in record time. From a positive standpoint, 2020 will be remembered as a year when the world had to work together to get better. If you think about it, this is truly an amazing and beautiful time we live in. Whether it be neighbors picking up groceries for one another while they are quarantining, or on a larger scale, countries throughout the world working together to find a cure, this year has brought us together more than ever. We learned we are able to connect virtually but will still crave human connection in person. We learned to give each other grace because you may not know what someone else is going through. Even in the year that lasted 312 years, good things happened, and for that we should be grateful.
