Positive Reflections on an Awful Year
Because there are still things to be grateful for in 2020
It’s no secret that this year has been a total and complete dumpster fire for most of us. We’ve collectively dealt with multiple nightmare scenarios at the same time.
While I’ve been fortunate enough to keep my 9–5, it’s been a mind bender to carry on with deadlines, long hours and pushing out features as if there wasn’t a global health crisis going on. I’ve become detrimentally sedentary and have developed a lower back injury as a result. I’ve lost a family member and was unable to attend the funeral. More than half of my social circle has moved away from the city I live in, and I’m left with no conceivable, safe way to meet any new people.
Yesterday, however, my company held a virtual, company-wide meeting simply to share a Thanksgiving-themed video. It was a compilation of short clips that our team members sent in, sharing things they were still grateful for in 2020. It was cheesy, sure, but it was a nice reminder that despite this nightmare year, there is plenty to be grateful for.
Maybe you reconnected with family or friends you haven’t spoken to in a while. Maybe you began developing a repertoire of recipes to make at home, or started a new hobby and stuck with it. Maybe you spent more time outdoors than you ever have — I surely did this year.
As a country, here are some things we can all be grateful for, together. Though it may feel like a slow burn, we are finally starting to turn the corner to some positive news.
A vaccine is within our reach
Not one, not two, but THREE vaccines have come out recently with high success rates. In less than a year! Let’s not gloss over the incredible medical marvel that is turning out several safe vaccines in such a short amount of time. Other vaccines have taken years, even decades to develop.
We’ve reflected on what really matters to us
This year has inevitably forced us all to look inward, take stock of our current lives, and reflect on what truly matters. Breakups that were inevitable found their catalyst. People moved back home, reconnected with their families, bought homes and sought to finally establish roots somewhere.
Having the rug ripped out from under you can be an eye-opening experience. For many of us, it has helped us focus on what really matters most.
We saw a worldwide, successful experiment in remote work
For many of us office workers, we just witnessed a worldwide remote work experiment, that seems to be working. This is obviously a nuanced topic, and doe not mimic what remote work would be like under normal circumstances. Still, even in my own company, which was decidedly remote-work averse, is planning on loosening up their in-office culture, and likely adopting a more hybrid model of work in the future. For those of us 9–5ers who value flexibility in our work lives, and who have been begging for remote work flexibility in the workforce, this is a remarkable and exciting shift in the workplace.
We got rid of an authoritarian president
He spread rampant distrust of any media that did not laud him. He hired unqualified groupies to positions of power. He formed dangerous, unsubstantiated lies about our election process for his personal gain. He has yet to formally concede. This man would do almost anything to keep himself in power. As the daughter of a someone who fled Communism, it is triggering and alarming to see how many authoritarian tendencies the 45th President displays. It’s even more alarming that other’s don’t see it.
But we voted him out. Legally and historically — we voted him out. The day when President-elect Biden was officially projected to be the 46th President was a euphoric day I will never forget. It was a much-needed bright light in a year of constant darkness.
Our return to normalcy will come with a newfound gratitude
For at least a little while, all the things we previously took for granted will fill us with an invigorating sense of appreciation. I’m anticipating euphoria much like the first few days of sunshine after the constant winter gloom. I know this gratitude will not last forever, but I can’t wait until we experience those first few months of returning to normalcy. It gets closer and closer with each passing week. Cheers to that.
Our Thanksgivings might look a little bit different this year. Many of us, including myself, will be prepping a dinner for just two, and planning a virtual gathering with loved ones, instead. Still, for the first time in a long time, I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.
2021 is hardly going to be a walk in the park. But if we hunker down, keep our hopes up, and continue to take care of each other, the end of this pandemic will be here sooner than we know it.
Happy Thanksgiving!
