Dear 2020,

You humbled us, you floored us, you disrupted our norm; but more than anything you awakened us — and for that I am thankful.

2020, you exposed our everyday in the most unpredictable way. You opened our front doors through screen windows. You watched our babies grow, pets snooze, big kids come home, and parents move in. You made the awkward everyday the highlights of our isolated day-to-days — and for that I am thankful.

2020, you hijacked our personal space. You claimed free-living spaces as corner offices. You turned playrooms into classrooms. You made the boundary between work and play indistinguishable. You lived through remodels, redecorating and our gallant gardening efforts. And when “return-to-school” physically returned (for some of us) you gave us our space back, but mostly our sanity — and for that I am thankful.

2020, you made imagination the expectation. With the abrupt mandate to work-from-home indefinitely you gave us the permission to reimagine everything. You pushed executive teams to act in the moment, to be bold, empathetically yet instantly. You flipped business models. You made bulk-only business products available to individual consumers. You forced antiquated and bureaucratic systems, like education, to find modern solutions overnight. And you filled our afternoons with unexpected adventures — and for that I am thankful.

2020, you gave us the freedom to show up — from the waist up. You let us talk with our mouths full. You made alcohol available for delivery. You snuck datetimes, during the daytimes. You made comfort the new couture. Our pants went beyond yoga and shoes became obsolete — and for that we are thankful.

2020, you unmuted long divided tensions and shook unlevel playing fields. You put us face-to-face with our heritage. You exposed our natural biases. You cast a spotlight on color and redefined us through pronouns. You forced common dialogs around uncomfortable topics — and for that I am thankful.

And 2020, you united us all through confinement. You offered immunity through isolation. You showed the healthy and the strong how to endure quarantine a place traditionally reserved for the sick and weak. You kept us apart in order to keep our health and our happiness together — and for that I am thankful.

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2020, I leave you with this last remembrance — I dedicate this post to those who kept their loved ones comforted even when they were uncomfortable themselves. You are loved. You are remembered, always. Rest in peace Uncle Jimbo and Jakey dog and to the many others who flooded our hearts with joy.