This was a difficult year. Many have lost a loved one, or personally battled the virus, or been laid off. Some folks have worked long, exhausting hours to serve others. Small business owners have been hit incredibly hard.
My family dodged some of the pain, but not all. We knew people who were taken by Covid, and many friends/family have battled the virus. I know several people who simply can’t find work, including family members. Our business has seen a drop as our clients, almost all small businesses, have had to close. Some many never reopen.
During trying times I try to remember my mother’s advice about how she has navigated disappointments. Mom was born to poor coal miners, she lived her childhood through the Great Depression, and she saw World War II break out when she was 17. Mom had a difficult marriage that ended in divorce. She lost one of her children to cancer. She lost her eyesight. She lost her ability to walk without help.
How has she persevered through it all? Her answer was as simple as it was brilliant.
“I think about all that I have to be thankful for.”
So if Mom can do it … maybe so can we. What can we be thankful for in 2020? Here are 20 thoughts:
- Dedicated people did amazing work in hospitals and health clinics around the world. They modeled all the goodness of humanity. Thank you.
- Millions of us stopped the merry go round and spent time with each other. The shutdown made us look across the table, not just at our phones. For me it was having a deep conversation with my adult son, seeing my wife and daughter laughing as they worked on a garden together, and sharing a cigar with a friend who seldom has time to visit.
- People showed their creativity to connect. Zoom, obviously, but we had caravan birthday parties, socially distanced outdoor book clubs, rainbow hunts, and Italian apartment dwellers singing from their balconies.
- More people voted than anytime in American history.
- The Dodgers won a World Series (took them long enough). This Giants fan loves that the Dodgers will forever be associated with the year 2020.
- Brilliant scientists created a vaccine in record time. Bravo, and thank you.
- Andrea Bocelli, in the Milan Cathedral, sang for the world on Easter Sunday. What a gift.
- Unable to travel, many of us found joy in simpler things. Swim parties, walks, exploring a local park, puzzles and games.
- NASA, of all organizations, made the bold move of naming its headquarters after Mary W. Jackson, the agency’s first African American female engineer. Well done.
- A side benefit to everyone staying home, carbon emissions declined. Hoping we can find a way to keep that trend going.
- A panda was born at the National Zoo. I mean can things get much cooler than that?
- D’Aun invented her own unique Covid Cocktail: fresh grapefruit juice frozen into ice cubes, tequila, and tonic water.
- Remember when we were running short of toilet paper, flour, hand sanitizer, masks, home gym equipment, and even freezers? I know we’re still short some things, but manufacturers and distributers shifted gears fast. Impressive.
- Maybe I just watched too much of it, but there was some good television this year. The Queen’s Gambit, Ted Lasso, The Crown, Mandalorian … the list goes on. There was something for everyone, even people who like dysfunctional wackos raising tigers.
- America sent astronauts to the International Space Station in an American made rocket. Very cool.
- Hamilton was aired on Disney+. Such a great show.
- Holly, our 2 year old Golden Retriever, learned how much fun it is to swim. In pools, lakes, ponds … if there is water, you will find Holly.
- With any luck we won’t have to hear about Brexit anymore.
- Everyone at Goble Properties kept their jobs.
- It’s almost over.
I’m sure my list has plenty of flaws and can, at times, come across as flippant. Worse, it might not cheer you up. Your situation might be difficult and the last thing you want to hear is some trite “stay positive, look at the bright side” message. I’m sorry about that.
But … I am serious that sometimes we can find encouragement by looking at all the things we can be thankful for. I’ve seen it work in my Mom. It might work for you.
Hang in there. Stay safe. See you next year.