Well, here we are, finally at the end of 2020. It’s been quite a year. Some comparisons I have heard include:
- Roller coaster ride
- Lockdown life
- Trainwreck
- Zoom fest
- Hell and back
Whatever you have called it, “unprecedented” topped the list on dictionary.com. British slang uses the word omnishambles to describe 2020. For a grin, check out the rest at:
https://www.dictionary.com/e/2020-describe-one-word/
What made 2020 so unprecedented? Of course, the pandemic tops the list. But there have been other issues of note that caused this year to be more stressful and more tragic than most any in our collective memories.
https://www.visualcapitalist.com/year-review-2020-in-20-visualizations/
So what now? How will we make 2021 a better year?
Many of us will make a new year’s resolution. And there is no shortage of suggestions on the internet. Good Housekeeping, In Style, Psychology Today, Reader’s Digest, and People magazine have all weighed in. My favorite was advice from In Style magazine that recommended you ask yourself this question about your resolution: “how will this resolution impact me five, 10, or 15 years from now?”
https://www.instyle.com/lifestyle/new-years-resolutions-list
What are the things that have made you unhappy in 2020? Will they continue to be a problem after the new year? Are there ways that you can change them, or change your attitude about how they are affecting you? What are the silver linings that you have experienced this year?
We have all learned new (and better?) ways to communicate. Perhaps you used zoom for the first time in your life. Perhaps it became your lifeline to family friends and coworkers. This technology has been available for many years (teleconference calls began showing up in the late 50s and early 60s), but it took the pandemic to make us realize what a valuable tool it is. Now, I rarely go a week without more than one Zoom or Facebook call. This holiday season, it became the host for family gatherings as many of my family members live In areas affected by CoVid, not to mention that my home is located in a CoVid hot spot. Sure it is not the same, but so good to see their faces and hear their voices and to know that they are safe and healthy.
Internet banking and bill pay has been available for at least the last 10 years, but did it take the closing of bank lobbies to encourage you to take advantage of that service? Telemedicine has seen an epic rise during the pandemic. Working from home has become the norm, rather than the exception. Schools have adopted remote learning strategies, sometimes providing online classes for all their students. This is not new technology either. When I was a 5th grader, we had a remote learner in my class. She was handicapped, and could not always come to the classroom. We had what we called a squawk box that allowed her to listen in and to reply when the teacher directed questions or comments to her. I am sure that technology has been used in some way during the interim since the 1970s, but it’s dominance in 2020 has possibly changed education forever.
Was 2020 the year when you finally decided that talking with a counselor would be beneficial? They have been there for years… But have seen a spike in patients this year. This is a good thing.
Whatever the year 2020 has brought you, we hope that you have had some moments of pure joy, an opportunity to count your blessings, and development of a positive attitude for 2021. As they say, hindsight is 20/20.
And to quote my favorite Christmas song, ” may I suggest the secret of Christmas is not the things you do at Christmas time, but the Christmas things you do all year through”.
Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and Happy New Year from Golden Bridges.