2020 was supposed to be everyone’s year for new beginnings. It was the start of a new decade for goodness sake.

Well, it was definitely a year of new beginnings for a certain virus that shall  not be named. There was a lot of political unrest leading up to the presidential election, and it can still be seen afterwards. There has also been civil unrest, which has been seen through the Black Lives Matter movement, as well as many others. 

While there may have been many things that went wrong this year, concentrating on the bad is not a way to move forward. 

There have simply been quite a few bumps in the road that have come up that we just need to drive on over.

This year I have seen a lot of good come out of my time in quarantine with my family. 

I have realized that there were so many things I took for granted in my life. For example, in-person school. I know school always seemed like such a chore. Something that we had to do. But, now that I don’t have that option, I realized how much I really enjoyed it.

I didn’t realize how much I enjoyed seeing my friends every day, getting to know my teachers better, bonding with classmates, and having the opportunity to actually ask for help in-person.

Because of online school, none of these things are able to happen anymore, and I have missed them.

There are also so many opportunities that have not been available because of social distancing and wearing masks.

Sports were not able to be played until just recently, and even then, many of them do not allow as many fans to come and watch. Who would have thought that one day, attending a sporting event would be difficult because everyone has to stay six feet apart?  

The opportunity to slow down has also been something that I have enjoyed because of quarantine.

Taking a break from my busy schedule has made me realize how much time we actually used to spend running around to different places.

With the stay-at-home order we were able to spend more time with each other without the distractions.

Being quarantined with my family has also been a huge blessing in my life. I have grown closer to them and formed stronger bonds.

Focusing on the good has made me much happier and less angry at the events of the year.

Good things can come out of every situation, the difficult part is just being able to recognize them and focus on them.

I am grateful for the things I have learned this year and how I have grown. 

My priorities have definitely changed from what they were during the beginning of this year because of my experiences. 

I have also learned how to see the good in things even when there doesn’t seem to be light at the end of the tunnel.

I am very fortunate to have had such a good experience with 2020, because I know this year has not been the same for any one person.