Let’s take a moment to see what we have endured as a global community.

I know, I know … many are like thank goodness 2020 is over. And there was a lot of scary stuff we dealt with, but for the first time in human history … the world experienced something together. If anything, I think we grew in empathy because for the first time ever, we know what it’s like to walk in each other’s shoes.

Together we faced:

• The scare of a disease we still are scratching our heads about
• We faced the discomfort of wearing masks, smelling our own breaths, having beads of our exhales accumulate like sweat BUT we did our best to make them fashionable
• We strengthened our listening skills and strengthened the projection of our voices through plexin glass
• We braved isolation that quarantine brought
• We endured the loss of loved ones
• We stated using snail mail again
• We had opportunities to practice patience, waiting on those Trader Joe lines
• We learned the importance of human interaction, even the most introverts of introverts will tell you that they appreciate hugs and missed being around people
• We unearthed some serious social unrest and started having some uncomfortable but necessary conversations
• We took this time to catch up on rest, to connect, and to really think about our priorities
• We learned how to stay connected even though we were apart—thank you zoom.
• We dusted off old hobbies or enrolled in the university of google to learn a new one

Yes, there were wildfires, elections, and a shortage of toilet paper. But we also became stronger as a whole.

Love prevailed.

People got married. Students graduated and learned a new way to celebrate their achievements.

It was tough, and it’s not over.

But the power of prospective is a wonderful tool we have at our disposal.

Many are thankful to say goodbye to year deemed The Great Pause. But I just want to say thank you. Thank you 2020 for the lessons you’ve brought, for the changes that challenged us and for growth.