And yes, it was a truly catastrophic year for many: and in Australia for those who went through the drought and the extreme fires of the summer, (as if that wasn’t enough) on top of it all, with no chance to recuperate, came the pandemic. 

In no way do I wish to trivialise any of these outcomes and all their associated effects.  But in the end, those of us who are left, must find a way to go on, and one of the best ways to do this is to look for, and find, hope, amongst all the loss and the pain. 

One has to find joy and a reason for going on, through the recognition of and gratitude for, those reasons for hope. 

So here are just 4 of MY positives from 2020, (there are many more): 

• People stayed home and fell in love!  (I have close personal knowledge of at least 3 couples for whom this is the case). For 2 of the couples, they found they enjoyed being [forced] together 24/7 doing the most mundane of things – what better test for a lifetime relationship?   In another instance, international travel plans were thwarted so they stayed home and fell in love instead – win/win in my book! 
• People worked from home and realised they did not need to waste time commuting and polluting. In many cases they could complete their workload in fewer hours and spend more time with family, playing sport (the surfboard industry in Australia is booming!), and other life-enhancing activities. They also saved money on clothes, make-up, cars, etc. and all the ancillary costs associated with ‘going to the office.’ 
• Animal adoptions boomed!  Some RSPCA shelters in Melbourne actually ran out of kittens (according to a recent interview on ABC Radio National), which is truly amazing!  (And just to pre-empt the nay-sayers who will say there will be a spike of ‘abandonments’, you need to know, that adopting an animal through a legitimate shelter is no small thing.  It is not cheap, and there is a rigorous screening process. No such thing as FREE here! Not in the legitimate zone anyway.) 
• People stayed home and got CREATIVE.  In SOOO many ways, and some of the best of these were from folk who were in 14-day quarantine in hotels etc.  Too many examples to quote, choirs, funny videos, and so much more...it gave us a ‘time out’ to talk to ourselves and work out what REALLY matters in the overall scheme of things.

So, the pandemic is not over, but it has, I choose to believe, opened our eyes to the ‘things that really matter,’ and I think this will colour our vision of the way we lead our lives for some time to come. 

I am hopeful and positive for the future, beginning with 2021, and I reckon Aussies will continue to do a great job of this! 

So, Happy New Year everyone – it's in our hands to be so!   I encourage you to look for and share YOUR 2020 positives, and hopes for the future!