Last updated on January 1, 2021
2020 was a difficult year for everyone, no doubt. The year started with notable natural disasters like the Australian bushfires which damaged the country’s landscapes, not only endangering a multitude of species, but impacting residents’ health as well with all the smoke and debris. The bushfires actually continued over from 2019 and persisted many months into 2020.
February 2020 saw the first major coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak for Europe in Italy and the memorial service for Los Angeles Lakers’ Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna, and the seven others from the Calabasas helicopter crash.
March 2020 is when we really saw the COVID-19 outbreak quickly spread across the United States, prompting restrictions to be placed all over regarding public gatherings, travel, stay-at-home, etc. including the shift to online school. My own high school moved online, with plans to return in a few weeks, but it really turned into a heavily extended spring break. However, this also resulted in a panic across the country, with people rushing to their local stores to purchase supplies, leading to a shortage of many necessities including hand sanitizers and toilet paper.
April through December was kind of a blur for everyone (except for the presidential election, of course), with people staying at home for a majority of the time. Of course, many lost their jobs and experienced difficulties in maintaining their households. This resulted in massive community efforts to put together food drives and other events, hoping that anyone who needed the help could get it. I guess that was one of the biggest positives of the year: people coming together in times of need and really doing whatever they could to help those struggling around them.
We also learned to appreciate the time we spent with our family and friends, realizing how often we overlook the ability to simply meet up and be able to enjoy others’ company.
I know this post seems all over the place, but honestly, that’s exactly what this year was like: 2020 was most definitely just a whirlwind of events. It seemed that everyday was filled with devastating news, whether it was statistics of the spread of the virus or the names of the hundreds of thousands that had passed away. But between those moments, there were positives. Community was arguably the biggest theme of the year and it provided a sense of optimism for what seemed to be a bleak future.
As we head into 2021 with vaccines and a newfound sense of optimism, I truly hope that 2021 has something better in store and that we all continue to stick together, working to overcome the struggles faced in the past year.
Image Credit: https://www.forbes.com/sites/mikekappel/2020/10/29/planning-for-2021-a-lesson-from-2020/?sh=70758ddf30bd
Comments are closed.