By Eileen Spatz

As we enter the twilight of a most hideous year, it’s a good time to take stock. 2020 has surely been a whirlwind, spinning off many scary and challenging events in what feels like the blink of an eye. I don’t even remember September. Can barely recall October. The days, weeks, and months have sped by like a runaway train.

Think about how our lives have been whittled down to a stump! Over the course of the year, all of the activities that had filled our calendars evaporated, one after the other. Now I marvel at how simplified my life has become over a twelve-month period—and simplified not by choice! It’s one thing to embrace Marie Kondo’s streamlining philosophy and purge all the junk out of your closet, and quite another to have most everything we enjoy seized from us because of an invisible monster.

By now everybody has their own (very strong) views about the mess the world has found itself in. Instead of hashing out the various theories about the origin of the virus, how to best treat the virus, the lack of leadership, the overreach of officials, or the debate over masks versus no masks, I would like to take a few minutes to ponder how the pandemic has changed us.

Think about how profoundly this unpredictable and mysterious pathogen has impacted daily life! Without any warning or training, parents were thrust into the role of homeschool teachers. Some took to this development and plan to continue homeschooling, while others have really struggled with it. And the poor kids, having to adjust to being home most the time while seeing their peers only sporadically. Teens have been really hurt by this, as the teen years are normally a time of increasing autonomy as they develop into adults—so staying home all day with the parentals had to be brutal.

The majority of people that are now working from home couldn’t imagine such a thing a year ago. The 8-5 corporate blueprint is deeply ingrained in our collective psyche. We expect to jump in a car and drive to our place of employment. Again, some have taken to this new work-from-home paradigm and love it, while others dearly miss the daily live interactions with colleagues. It’s hard to say at this juncture whether working from home will become a permanent thing, but from a cost perspective it does make sense for companies to downsize their commercial real estate footprint.

Just about every aspect of life has been altered. We work out now at home instead of going to a gym. Many practice their faith via Facebook Live or Youtube versions of religious services now instead of going to a church. We shop online for pretty much everything now instead of going to a mall to try on clothes or see and touch products. We host small gatherings in our backyards or at parks now instead of throwing big, lavish gatherings in our homes.

Each person has had their own unique experience in 2020. A family with small children will have a different experience than a senior couple who will have a different experience than a single person living alone. Stressors are there for all types of households, but the stressors differ. Any way you slice it this year has been stressful. It has been depressing. It has been lonely.

All that being said, there are some unexpected blessings to note from all the chaos. Personally, I have experienced deeper, more meaningful interactions with my grown children, my mother, and my friends. Instead of frivolous chit chat, conversations now are more substantive. The uncharted territory that is Covid has caused us to value each other more, to really care about each other’s wellbeing during such a challenging era. I have also grown spiritually this year. In the quiet and stillness of living a rather solitary life I have had more time to really reflect and pray. It has become abundantly clear to me how much I rely on my faith for peace of mind.

As the months pass I find myself marveling at how resilient human beings are. Even with all the highly unpopular policies we have had to endure, isn’t it amazing how, with a little imagination, we could still find ways to seek joy? We’ve adjusted to the obstacles and found new ways to enjoy our pastimes. I especially admire the millennial parents in my neighborhood, unwilling to just accept that there can’t be Fourth of July festivities, trick or treating, or Christmas celebrations. They have found safe workarounds to provide joyful moments for their children in the midst of a pandemic. The human spirit is truly amazing.

As much as we hope for a magical end to this Covid nightmare, most of us understand that we have a long haul ahead. The repercussions felt across the globe will not just—poof!—disappear, unfortunately. We can hope for that, but it isn’t really realistic considering how much damage has been done on multiple levels.

Even with the unknowns, closing out 2020 finds us hopeful for a return to normalcy. It may not be smooth sailing, in fact there are likely very choppy waters ahead. But if we can dodge the Covid bullet, and hang on tight to our family, friends, and faith, we will hopefully be enjoying mask-less gatherings again at some point in 2021, God willing. But never, not ever, should we stop seeking joy.