2021 is here! Hopefully we'll see the COVID pandemic fading away. No more toilet paper shortages and a surplus of hand sanitizer and cleaning products will ring in the new year. I propose that we make 2021 a year filled with gratitude and appreciation for the things we often take for granted. For the home deliveries that enable us to avoid crowds. For the friends and family that kept us sane during quarantine and lock downs. For those of us who are fortunate to have homes over our heads and warm beds, a thankfulness for the safety and security that brings.
I challenge everyone to be a little kinder. Show a little more compassion. Be a little less self-absorbed. I've witnessed during 2020 so many occasions where customers berate, belittle and frankly, verbally abuse frontline workers who are trying to do the best they can, constrained by systems that they're required to work within (remember, they're not the ones that make the systems and rules under which they work and they're usually more frustrated than you are). I've seen customers decide that one-way aisles don't apply to them, and when confronted about it, react as if they're above doing the right thing. I've seen people refuse to wear masks in crowds citing "statistics" about COVID, trying to justify their beliefs to others. If I learned anything during this 2020 COVID pandemic is that it's not about me. It's about the community, about those around me, and showing a bit more concern for each other, stopping and considering the impact your actions may have on others - protecting yourself which, in turn, helps protect others. And realizing that you never truly know what the person next to you is going through.
Unfortunately, this lesson is one that is hard-learned by some when they either contracted COVID or had a loved one who did. Learned by those who disregarded the guidelines and then lost family members, cutting short their time on earth with those who loved them. My wish for 2021 is that we find ways to channel our frustrations at the current situation toward positive actions. That we build each other up instead of trying to tear each other down. That before we act, we pause and think about the impact we may have on others. And that collectively, we find a way to be a little more kind, a bit more compassionate, and show understanding toward our fellow humans. Most importantly, if you are struggling, finding the resources to help you pull through these difficult times.
I awoke this morning to my favorite wintery scene: softly falling snow covering trees in gentle blanket. This weather creates a beautiful silence like no other, and causes one to pause and think about all the wonderful things for which we should be grateful. To marvel in the magnificence of nature, which constantly reminds us that we are just one small spec within this complicated ecosystem. Nature which gives beauty and bounty and, as quickly, can destroy and devastate.
As 2021 emerges, I wish you all a year filled with gratitude and compassion (and also a consistent supply of toilet paper).
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