I obviously know not a lot changes in a 24-hour period. Although the year is now different, many things will remain the same.
That said, the most important thing to me – and I’m sure many others – is understanding what happened before Jan. 1, 2021, is now in the past.
There were a lot of things – mainly a worldwide pandemic – that had us itching for 2020 to be over. I personally couldn’t wait. It felt like 2020 lasted longer than my tenure in high school. But that’s what happens when the proverbial hits keep on coming.
I have never been one for New Year’s resolutions, but I have found myself constantly referring to a preface from an old play, titled The Time of Your Life, by William Saroyan.
“In the time of your life, live – so that in good time there shall be no ugliness or death for yourself or for any your life touches. Seek goodness everywhere, and when it is found, bring it out of its hiding place, let it be free and unashamed. In the time of your life, live – so that in wondrous time you shall not add to the misery and sorrow of the world, but shall smile to the infinite delight and mystery of it.”
As a member of the media during a global pandemic, I can’t help but think the news we often reported sometimes added to the gloom and sorrow, in the sense that 2020 held so much negativity. Our job, contrary to what many people may believe, is to reflect and report on what is happening around us. I hope 2021 will bring more positivity, as last year showed that no matter what, our communities can adapt to anything.
Although a new year is in place, we still have economic restrictions, mandatory mask bylaws and other protocols in effect to help halt the spread of COVID-19. The arrival of a COVID-19 vaccine is a glimmer of hope that this year is already off to a better start.
I am not sure what this year will have in store, but the bar set by 2020 is very low. I hope everyone looked at the first day of 2021 with as much hope and positivity as I did. We have come a long way, and the resilience hardworking people have shown is inspiring.
Local businesses, charities and other organizations have led by example. The odds have been – and still are – stacked against them, through no fault of their own. Yet, the work never stops, because beyond all of this is something greater.
We have shown that it takes a lot more than a pandemic to halt the hardworking people of our nation and our community. That is something to be proud of.
Jordan Stricker, AirdrieToday.com
Follow me on Twitter @Jay_Strickz
