2020 - Not All Hindsight

 

         Whew! It’s now 2021 and we can officially kick 2020 to the curb until the third week of the month where it will be picked up by our large trash pick-up crew, for whom I think we are all extremely grateful, given the large piles of stuff we want to put out there.  Yep, I’m speaking literally and figuratively now.

         So with 2020, well, in its own hindsight do we really need to throw out everything it brought to our charcuterie board? By the way, you young whippersnappers didn’t invent those cute little eaterie boards.  I’m pretty sure they were invented by The Swiss Colony store where we could get rootbeer candies from a huge barrel back in the day you could just stick your gloveless hands all willy-nilly like in barrels of sweets. Ew.

         This past year certainly brought on its share of difficulties and tragedies. No one can argue that! With unimaginable losses and heart-aches, it felt like the entire world was playing a game of blind-folded 52 card pick-up.  If you don’t know how to play 52 card pick-up, find someone who knows how and ask them to show you. It’s really fun! But I digress. This past year brought out things in all of us we didn’t remember or even realize we had. People were stressed, yes, and sadly we lost loved ones, and our mental well-being has declined. However, let’s take a minute to look at what the hellish 2020 did for us.

         Coasting along is pretty easy and even desired at times.  Like now, right? Most of us would LOVE a year where everything is ok.  Doesn’t have to be great as long as it isn’t terrible. But with 2020 shaking our metaphorical tree I think we came together in ways that we haven’t in years. People, strangers, were stepping up to help others with groceries and medications. Families grew closer because let’s face it, they had to! When I asked several students one positive thing they can say about having been quarantined, nearly all said they were able to spend more time with their families. Many of us rolled up our sleeves and figured out technology, like real quick! We as educators found ways to reach our students and families to build bridges that extend beyond the textbooks. We learned to appreciate simple things like taste and smell (ok, that was personal, but if you’ve had Covid and lost taste and smell, you know how much you miss those senses and are grateful when you get them back)! We really appreciate things like seeing friends, seeing faces, and seeing smiles when we are able.

          So, yes, 2020 was rough, sad, and we are glad to see it go.  But let us not forget that a year that began like most others, then toppled our apple cart, also shed light on the thread of hope shared by a world made stronger and more determined to live and love big, or get put out by the curb the third week of the month.