2020 definitely wasn’t the year we all expected it to be when we made our New Year’s resolutions last January. We were all filled with hope as we hit the gyms the first few weeks of the year and stuck to our goals of spending more time with our friends, eating healthy, and traveling more. And then everything changed.

A global pandemic struck the world and everything shut down. The gyms closed. Traveling ceased. Bans were put on gathering sizes. But you already know that. You have lived it, just like we have, just like every person has this year. 2020 has made it so easy to focus on everything that has devastated our lives.

But for the next few days, I challenge each one of us to focus on the good things that have come out of 2020. 

1.  People came together to help each other. During the current health crisis, women around the world began using their sewing machines to make masks to ensure safety within their communities. From Serbia to India to Kenya and across the US, people worked to help create a safer world.

2. NASA named its Washington, D.C. headquarters after Mary W. Jackson, its first Black female engineer!!

3. As movie theaters were forced to shut down across the country, many family-owned drive-ins opened up and began screening our old favorites, getting people out of their houses for a few hours and into a safe spot in their communities for some much needed fun.

4. Global emissions went down 17 percent! With people around the world under strict lockdown regulations, less vehicles were in use. Wildlife was also seen freely roaming areas typically populated with traffic and humans. 

5. In the midst of a social awakening to systemic inequalities, Crayola launched a box of crayons called “Colors of the World” with 24 different skin colors for children to “accurately color themselves into the world.”

6. We learned to recognize the true superheroes of the world. Healthcare workers, educators, and other essential workers have always been heroes that we once took for granted… but not any more. They have fought on the frontlines of this pandemic all year and continue to serve valiantly. We are all forever thankful for each brave frontline worker.

7. People like YOU continued to support to Head First Development and allowed our work in Kolkata, India to continue in these critical times. 

As we all step into 2021, let us look towards the future with hope and gratitude.