Finally 2020 is coming to an end.

It’s about time.

In the past, 2020 had a different meaning. The number equals perfect vision, and many of us started 2020 with that mindset – we’d have a clear vision of the year ahead.

Maybe if we’d seen what was ahead, we’d have begged Father Time to run backwards.

None of us foresaw the darkness that enveloped the earth and the isolation and sadness that touched every person.

Not even Stephen King’s constant readers or hard-core conspiracy theorists could have imagined a virus shutting down the world.

Although the pandemic played out on a global stage, the coronavirus dealt unbelievable sadness to families.

Too many loved ones passed away before their time, and we watched with disbelief as stores, bars, restaurants and our favorite shopping spots closed their doors.

Everyone struggled, but we learned a few things along the way.

For instance, ordering groceries online isn’t that difficult.

Sitting in your car while someone else does the shopping might make us feel like royalty but that convenience is nice at the end of a long work day.

We can cook. Not as fancy as a four-star chef, and we gained personal satisfaction in serving the family a hot meal and sitting down together to enjoy the spread.

We’re an angry society. From hostile politics that are dividing families to instant anger when we see people not wearing masks to open hostility and brutality because of the color of one’s skin, we saw way too much rage boil over.

I don’t think a vaccine can cure intolerance.

There are things I won’t ever take for granted again – dashing into the grocery store for a few quick items without worrying about grabbing my face mask and hand sanitizer.

Having the neighbors over for a Friday night visit.

Smiling at a stranger in the store and having them smile back. Heck, I miss seeing smiles period.

I can’t wait to enjoy family gatherings where we can hug our elderly and play hide-and-seek with the young ones.

I miss trying on clothes in the dressing room.

Wearing lipstick.

The ability to discuss and debate politics without fracturing entire families.

Freedom to plan a vacation that’s further away than our back yard.

I did gain something from the pandemic:  I won’t take life for granted.

I’ve learned how precious people are, especially after the alarming and unbelievable number of people who passed away.

Too many friends have lost a father, mother, sibling or cousin to Covid-19, and we couldn’t even have visitations and funerals to honor our deceased.

On the national front, celebrities passed away in alarming numbers – Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg, Alex Trebek, Kobe Bryant and Sean Connery left positive marks on the world, but none as eloquently and bravely as Chadwick Boseman.

The “Black Panther” star passed away at the age of 43 after battling colon cancer for four years.

While undergoing cancer treatment, Boseman made seven movies, including “Marshall” and the Avengers films. He did so without complaining or letting cancer keep him from doing what he loved.

That’s the lesson I’m going to take from 2020 – don’t allow the unexpected and unplanned stop me from remembering how fragile and wonderful life is.

I need to remember to celebrate and savor every experience that comes along, to tell people how precious they are and to not let a moment pass without remembering that human interaction –hugs, kisses, handshakes, smiles and exchanged pleasantries – are the lifeblood of any society.

Let’s take a hopeful, cheerful, tolerant and determined spirit into 2021 and leave the sadness and hopelessness behind.

After all, hindsight, they say is 2020.

 

This column was originally published in The Fort Bend Herald.