2020 Retrospective
2020 feels like a lost year. In reality, we learned a lot about resiliency. For the survivors and responsible persons, we endured not being able to do things with others in person. Participating in Zoom calls is not the same as being physically present with other humans. I miss dining in at restaurants. I miss playing soccer regularly. I miss traveling.
I feel like a potted plant that normally thrives outside, being brought into the house because of the winter. For those who are not green thumbs, you will observe a noticeable difference in plant health. Not being able to be physically and socially present with others, is like plants not being able to experience the fresh outdoors all winter long.
There were many negatives, but there were some positives. Depending on your political views, you could view the 2020 US Elections a positive or a negative. I viewed it as a positive reaffirming of humanity and basic decency. I was losing hope that people actually cared for others (empathy) and the environment, rather than solely for themselves (selfishness). Selfishness was disguised as freedom. That political line in the sand wasn’t always like that, but that is the reality we now face.
Another positive is that businesses realized that working from home permanently was actually good for the bottom line, and in some cases more productive. The planet thanked us (partially). Less cars on the road because of teleworking, meant less greenhouse gas emissions. However, the planet did not appreciate all the extra food takeout waste filling up the landfills.
The biggest positive from staying home all year, was I got to spend tons of time with my dog. He is 66 years old in human years. He probably has four more years left. He will someday leave us, but he will reflect knowing that 2020 was the start of being able to see Daddy every waking hour. I enjoyed and appreciate every moment of that time together. Side note: Stay tuned for some interesting projects I have planned related to my dog and his misadventures with Daddy and Mommy.
What did I learn from all this resiliency? I learned to appreciate others more. I am more grateful for my friends and family. My prediction for 2021 is that everything that we took for granted and did less of, there will be an explosion of the exact opposite. Once we can go back to normal, restaurants will thrive, travel will thrive, sports will thrive. We must prepare for this onslaught of traffic jams, making reservations at busy restaurants, lineups everywhere. Otherwise, people will revert back to being hermits.
