Published Nov 12, 2020 by Rick Cundiff
Let’s be honest – 2020 has been a pretty lousy year. Between a quarter-million deaths, a pandemic-triggered recession, a lockdown and a bruising election cycle, there hasn’t been a whole lot to cheer for.
And now Thanksgiving is approaching. In the face of our losses of income, opportunities and most of all, people we love, it can be tough to muster much gratitude, can’t it?
Yet somehow, most of us can find some … OK, wait a minute. Ya know what? I started writing this a day ago. That’s as far as I got before saying “I just can’t do this.”
Yes, this has been a terrible year. I’m not thankful for a quarter-million of my fellow Americans dead. I’m not thankful for a recession that’s seriously affected my employer, coworkers, me and millions of others. I’m not thankful that I haven’t been able to see my aging dad, who lives 800 miles away, at all this year. I’m not thankful for a presidential election that has left us as polarized and far apart as seems possible.
We can’t even gather for the family Thanksgiving meal this year. So what the bleep IS there to be thankful for in 2020?
I had to give it 24 hours’ thought, but I came up with a few things:
Hope.
Hope that a COVID-19 vaccine will be available next year. Hope that the economy will pick up when that happens. Hope that it will soon be safe enough to travel to see Dad.
Technology.
We live in an age where we have the technology to stay in touch with friends and family around the globe. Even if we can’t be together in person, we can talk, enjoy video chats and share important moments of our lives.
Our strength as Americans.
We may be divided now, it’s true. But our nation has been tested before, and come together stronger than ever. We just have to remember that we’re ALL part of the whole. As one popular internet meme puts it, what if I told you the left wing and the right wing are both part of the same bird?
Politics divides us, but family, friends, love, all bring us together. And we’ve never let an enemy – be it foreign nation or killer virus – defeat us yet. This one will be no exception. We CAN do this, my friends.
Dogs.
I’m including this one for a simple reason. Dogs make everything better. (Cats too, but don’t tell anyone. Unlike dogs, they’ve got a rep to maintain.)
That’s a few of the things I’m thankful for this year. I’m betting all of you can come up with your own list if you try. Give it a shot.
When you do, remember this too – You can proclaim your gratitude on custom patches! You know the drill. Call us toll free, email us or fill out our no-obligation Free quote form to find out more. Your dog will thank you for it. The cats won’t, but they might ignore you a little bit less.
