With circumstances beyond her control, the businesswoman temporarily closed her shop. When she was finally able to re-open, it came with so many restrictions and she contemplated whether it was even worth keeping her doors open. Masks, social distancing, late shipments, payroll …. To say the least, 2020 has been a rollercoaster that traveled in only one direction … down. With so many stories such as this, it might be easy to wish this year away and hope that on January 1st, 2021, we all wake up from what we can collectively call, “a year that sucked.” 

But as I walked through my neighborhood this past autumn, a family pedaled past me, and the young boy laughed at his sister who was proudly riding a bike just recently void of training wheels. As I passed a house, I pick up a tomato from a table set in the front yard. On the small stand read a sign, "Please take one." An elderly gentleman waved to me from his front porch as I continued my walk.

This is 2020. Good or bad, it has changed us all. While I don’t pretend it hasn’t come without serious consequences, it also came with a positive wave that we cannot ignore. We are strong, and we can and will grow from a global event that has knocked us off our feet. 

One only needs to look at the local bicycle shop, where bikes flew out the door this summer as people reconnected with nature — embracing the simple enjoyment of riding a bike as a family activity. And home improvement stores exploded with customers deciding that this was as good a time as any to finally add the deck, redo the bathroom, or put in the garden they had been talking about doing for years.

As I set down my rose-colored glasses, I can still see the upside to 2020. 

This is the year Heather Dombos took her magazine in an exciting new direction—launching Moxie Magazine.

This is the year families rediscovered their local golf course, introducing their children to an outdoor activity that had been on the decline in recent years. 

This is the year neighbors reconnected, setting up chairs on the front porch and actually sitting in those chairs. 

This is the year we have a strong female VP candidate on a major ticket. (Let’s hope we get this one right.)

This is the year many people found time to pick up a book again, and discovered the delightfully quirky “Schitt’s Creek” or enjoyed binge-watching all seven seasons of “The West Wing” on Netflix. 

This is the year many women found their roots — literally. And decided to celebrate their natural grey.

Perhaps, as we look back, we can say, “I lived through 2020 and I’m a better person for it.”



Here’s to 2021. Let’s all hope it’s a little less … surprising.