I think we can all agree that 2020 was not an ideal year. That is not news to any of us. But knowing that 2021 won’t all of a sudden be brighter, I thought the best way to head into the New Year was to write a list of the things we lost in 2020 and what we gained instead. Changing our perspective can help us head into 2021 with a mindset that even during the hardest of times, good can prevail.

I. Virtual Learning and Remote Offices-Overnight, we were all moved to the house to conduct school and work. As a very busy, active family, home was the place where we all hurried around in the morning and came back to later in the day to eat, reconvene and start all over again the next day. We suddenly had to find our own places to work and make sure our WiFi could support all of us. It definitely had its challenges and, at times, still does, but the positive is we can check in with each other between classes or meetings or meet in the kitchen for lunch or a snack break to check in. Before I worked remotely, I went to the office every day and didn’t see my kids until the evenings and weekends.

II. Kids Sports Canceled-When Covid hit, my son had just started his junior year season of baseball. We got to watch him pitch in one league game and then the season ended up being completely canceled. While we have no idea if he will get a senior year either, the game we watched last year was the game of his life and a proud moment I will never forget.

With baseball on hold, my son found his new passion for mountain biking, a sport that allowed him the freedom to get out, even during lockdown and stay active. Now, it is truly his passion and something I know he will continue to do well into adulthood.

III. No Travel-We didn’t have any major trips planned for 2020 as we hope to take some trips after my son graduates from high school but we usually fit in some weekend getaways, especially in the summer. Since we couldn’t do any of that, we did arrange a staycation at a local beach house with my brother’s family. The timing was perfect as we were starting to feel the “at home” fatigue of staring at the same four walls. We debated spending the money since my husband was on furlough at the time but it was the best decision we made all summer. The time away from home and the much needed escape was just what we all needed to recharge and rejuvenate ourselves.

IV. Furlough and Reduced Pay-When everything shut down, my husband went on an extended furlough and initially, my salary was reduced due to loss of clients. We were truly blessed to have a savings account we could lean on in addition to PTO time accrued and additional unemployment benefits. We were more fortunate than most but it also made me realize how important it is to plan for the unexpected financially too. We both have what we considered solid careers, but in a pandemic, nothing is solid. We were so fortunate that my company obtained a government payroll loan and my husband was called back to work earlier than most of his colleagues. I’ve never had a deeper appreciation for our stable careers.

V. Time with Family and Friends-When everything happened in March, it was just weeks before my daughter’s 14th birthday. It was our first experience getting on a Zoom call with family and while it was bumpy to say the least, it was a form of connection we so desperately needed at the time. On Easter, in lieu of getting together for our annual Easter in the park, we created a contest for each family to create a video that we could share and judge for fun. While it looked very different from our regular Easter celebrations, it reminded me that we can always find a way to be together, no matter what that looks like.

VI. Health-I don’t think any of us worried more, talked about or just obsessed about our health more than in 2020. Being a germaphobe myself, I went through the many stages of the pandemic, from fear of even going the grocery store, to wiping down every single item that came into my house. As we learned more about this virus, ways it could spread and the effects overall, we all adapted to how to try to live our lives while staying safe and healthy. I have never appreciated good health more in my life and it is certainly something I will never take for granted again.

What lessons did you take from the negative experiences of 2020? While almost nothing went as planned, we are ending the year different people than we started. Nothing is a given and everything can come to a screeching halt in the world, literally overnight. But through it all, faith, the human spirit and love are stronger than anything and the rocks we can hold onto going into what we all hope will be a much better year. Happy New Year friends!