Will we thank 2020 for anything?
- Mary Tabak
- Oct 16, 2020
- 3 min read
With Thanksgiving just past us and Christmas around the corner, I have been thinking about what people are thankful for these days. On Thanksgiving, five of us gathered around a turkey and wondered the same thing. The conversation veered toward the pandemic, fires, earthquakes, violence, racism and mental health crises. It seemed so obvious for me to be thankful for a roof over our heads, food on the table and our health but it is difficult to keep that perspective when we don’t see it every day.
It doesn’t help that the media tends to focus on all the worst parts. 2020 will be remembered as a year of lost loved ones, broken families, violence, lost jobs, worsening health, isolation and political strife. Surrounded by all this negativity, it is difficult to find something to be thankful for.
Well, difficult maybe, but not impossible. Determined to show my family that there is still so much good in the world, I have started to compile a list of some things that also happened in 2020 that we can celebrate and may give us hope for a better future.
Did you know:
I’m not surprised about this one. Hugging a person or a pet releases important dopamine in our brains to help us feel better. Thanks to Hershey for all the snuggles!
Cooking and baking in 2020 have become an important way for families to connect and have fun. Ikea meatballs anyone?
Not only did she break barriers for African Americans in technology and engineering but is also a great role model for women interested in STEM.
For the first time ever, the 2020 Academy Award for best picture goes to an international feature film! Movies are such a great way to celebrate our diversity and this was such an important step for the entertainment industry to lead by example.
Go outside! We are so lucky to be surrounded by the great outdoors in Canada – walk, hike, ride, climb, skate. Being in nature, taking long, deep breaths of all that good clean air also helps reduce stress.
Well, who doesn’t love a great Orca story!
These are small examples of great things that happened this year, and if you look for them, there are so many more. When you find some of this good news, please share it on your social media! Because what the world needs right now is more good news.
I encourage you to be the one in the room who is finding ways to lift people by being thankful for something or someone. Just the other day I found a note under my pillow thanking me for making someone’s day. So nice and so simple!
I am thankful for little things these days. Thank you for reading this blog. 😊
Share the good news you find on Twitter and tag me @tabak_mary or post it below in the comment section.
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