2020: A very serious year in review. Full of gravitas. And also seriousness.

So…2020. Am I right? A year so fucked up it actually made us miss 2019. Which was no banner year either.

• If 2020 was a cheese, it would be squirted out of a can.
• If it was a car, it would be the Chevy Corvair (look it up young people!).
• 2020 was that cake you spent an hour making only to find out you used salt instead of sugar.
• 2020 was that moment when you’ve delayed doing laundry and you’re down to your last pair of underwear. Yeah, that one. The one you can’t bring yourself to throw out for some ridiculous reason but which, let’s be delicate here, is unkind to your…well, you know.
• If 2020 was a milk, it would be almond. Yeah, I said it. Almond milk sucks. The very idea of it offends the human spirit.
• If 2020 was a platypus, it would be non-duck-billed.

Yeah. It was that bad.

I probably don’t have to tell you any of this. You were there.

But amidst all of the absurdity and tragedy, there were rays of light that are worth acknowledging and celebrating. So let’s look at 12 positive developments of 2020, enjoy a bit of sunshine together, and recharge our batteries so we can jump into a new year ready to piss and moan about all the awful shit that, surprisingly, won’t go away just because I wrote an upbeat article.

1. Shared experience. There’s so much that divides us as humans; and not many moments in human history that affect us all. This year reminded us (well, maybe not all of us…) that we are all in it together. Let’s hope a renewed sense of our shared humanity stays with us as we enter a new year.

2. Digital connectivity. What’s worse than being on video chats all day long? Not having video chat at all! High-speed internet, real-time collaboration tools, video applications and so much more made this time spent in relative isolation so much more tolerable than it could have been.

3. NETFLIX!!! Imagine having to endure lockdown where your entertainment options were: a 13 inch TV with rabbit ear antennas, Mad Magazine, and Pong. Instead, we have Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+, HBO Max, Apple TV+, and all those other streaming thingies. Case rested.

4. Newfound respect for the people who really make the world work. The people who work long hours in warehouses packing our orders, the restaurant workers sweating in hot kitchens preparing our takeout, the folks on bikes delivering our food in the rain, the teachers, the front-line medical workers, and so many more. These are too often unsung heroes. We’ve started singing their praises more this year. Let’s hope that’s just a start.

5. Toilet paper and, for the lucky few, the attachable bidet. This requires no explanation.

6. The re-evaluation of what really matters in life. Many of us have been on some form of a hamster wheel for a long time. The hampster wheel of materialism. The hamster wheel of busyness. The hamster wheel of status. We’re now thinking hard about what really matters and what kind of lives we want to live. More people living more considered lives is a really good thing.

7. Family time. It’s a real privilege to be able to spend enough time with your loved ones to make you want to run away and live in a monastery on the top of a remote mountain. This pandemic has certainly given many of us the opportunity to reconnect with our loved ones, to spend more quality time, to enjoy sit-down family dinners like our ancestors did in the 50s.

8. Neologisms. This is mostly an excuse to use the word “neologism”. But we are seeing some wonderful new entries to our lexicon: “quaranteam”, “quarantini”, “Miss Rona”, “the COVID 19” (as in the impact to our waistlines), “anti-maskers”, and so much more. Not to mention increased use of some of our fan favorites like “bubble” — try saying that 20 times in a row really quickly and not wildly enjoying it!

9. Baking! So. Much. Bread. And banana bread. And cookies. All the things!

10. Music. From the impromptu choirs and concerts on the balconies in Italy to free live-streamed performances from the finest orchestras across the world, music has uplifted us when we most needed it.

11. A more urgent focus on purpose and values. The move toward more responsible, sustainable business has been underway for quite a while. The pandemic has shined a light on how critically important it is for businesses to see themselves as part of the fabric of human society and to think deeply about how they can have a more positive impact not only on the bottom line but on our planet and on humankind.

12. A lowering of our standards on personal grooming and hygiene. Yeah, I said it! Like you’re showering as often as you did back when you had to go into an office every day?! You’re not on video calls wearing shorts or sweatpants?! What, you’re not saving money on cosmetics? On deodorant? Yeah, right.

Well that’s a wrap folks. Positive stuff. From the highbrow, to the lowbrow, to the unibrow.

Happy new year! I’m wishing you all a 2021 that doesn’t suck!