2020 was a dumpster fire of a year. This pandemic has made it really easy for us to be bitter, callous versions of ourselves. Instead though, I’d like to take a moment to find five things from this year that I’m grateful for. I invite you to come on this journey with me – grab your pen and paper, and get writing!
#1: Close friends and family.
This year has, in my opinion, made it more difficult for us to stay connected to occasional acquaintances. If anything though, it’s brought us closer to our immediate family and closest friends. On our end, we’ve stayed in touch, and I’m grateful for the fact that even a pandemic hasn’t taken those connections away from us.
#2: I’m grateful for our new home.
We had decided to move this year well before the pandemic hit, and I’m grateful that we were still able to make it happen despite the conditions. We managed to find a beautiful new home that gave us space to stretch our legs, and space in the backyard for our dog Phoebe to do the same. We’ve already made some memories in the house, and we’ll continue to do so for many years to come.
#3: Hobbies that can be done at home.
Three of my favourite pastimes are reading, writing and photo editing. Thankfully, all of these things can be done from the comfort of home. I’ve heard many of my introvert friends say that they’ve made out like bandits through this pandemic, because they’re being forced to do many of the things they enjoy most anyway.
I sit somewhere in the middle of the introvert-extrovert scale, so I do miss many of the social gatherings and chats I’d have with people I no longer get to see. But I have my hobbies, and I’m grateful that I get to spend time refining those while I wait for the scales to balance again!
#4: Having a job, and one that can be done from home.
It was purely a lucky spin of the roulette wheel that the nature of this crisis didn’t impact my job, other than to shift me to full-time working from home. I miss my colleagues, but a whole host of other benefits have come from the shift. I’m sleeping better, going for walks, eating lunch with my wife, and the list goes on.
I’m grateful for the fact that I have a job at all, at a time when many others are struggling. If you’re one of those people, feel free to find me on LinkedIn and I’ll do what I can to help. You got this.
#5: I’m grateful for my martial arts training.
I’ve been training karate for over seven years now, and one of the things it’s taught me is the concept of resiliency. Resiliency isn’t just about being able to physically bounce back from a hit, but to mentally bounce back as well. Our collective mental health has taken quite a beating throughout this pandemic, and I’m grateful to have a state of mind that continues to rebel against the darkness.
We all have bad days, but even on the bad ones, there’s a little voice in my head that says “We’re gonna get through this. No storm lasts forever.” I’m grateful for that little voice.
Wrapping it Up
This is an important point: I’m writing this because it’s something I want to do for myself. Everyone’s situation is different; yours is different from mine, and the next person’s will be different from yours. Don’t compare yourself to others; it’s a recipe for misery. Whatever your situation, if you’re reading this with a roof over your head, then you’ve made it through one of the most difficult years we’ve ever faced.
And that’s more than enough.
If you’d like to share something you’re grateful for coming out of 2020, then leave me a post in the comments section. I’d love to hear from you!
