Reading: 10 Unexpected Joys and Insights From Our Most Horrible Year

I don’t want to get all gratitude journal on you, but I’ve been thinking lately about the end of this pandemic and how we will look back at it. While Covid has undoubtedly been a horror show for everyone, both nationally and personally, there are some incredible things that I’ve learned during this historic moment that I would never have learned otherwise. Here is just my list of unexpected joys and insights.

1. Who knew I could actually live three months in lockdown and not go crazy (or kill my hubby)? That’s a tool I now have in my mental survival box
2. I actually like getting into bed at 8:30 pm instead of going out to dinner at that time
3. For an uber-extrovert, Zoom works pretty well — even for meeting new people. Would I have ever expected that?
4. No matter how much time I have on my hands, I’m not getting through my To-Do List
5. I don’t have to travel for all the things I used to: I can get a ton done virtually
6. How did I do everything I used to do in one day? How did I live at that pace that began at 5 am and ended at midnight? Ugh. Seems exhausting to me and I don’t want to go back to it
7. Would my adult kids have ever spent several months with us at home if they weren’t working remotely? The answer is of course not! They would have been too busy
8. Will I ever wear high heels again? A waistband? Makeup? Do I care?
9. I like just calling random old friends on the phone for a chat. Feels like olden days
10. My cost of living has come down so low, will I be comfortable with it going back up?

What’s on your list? Put your answers in the comments box at the bottom of our posting of this piece on FB or Instagram. I want to know.

For more ideas on what to be grateful for, read Lisa Kava’s piece in TheCovey. She considers not just what she lost in 2020, but what she gained in learning about patience, survival, and an appreciation of nature and slowing down.