When 2020 began, I invited friends and family into my home for a New Year’s Day brunch in celebration. We were full of laughter and joy at the thought of what the year would bring. Now that we are in the last weeks of 2020, I find that there is still laughter, some Zoom fatigue, and a year ending with much gratitude. Gratitude for a leader who likes to think outside the box for solutions and is willing to freely share.
- Gratitude that I had already been working remotely for seven years. That means using online platforms for meetings was not something I had to learn.
- Gratitude knowing that Getting Ahead classes could move forward due to the Getting Ahead Virtual tools that were designed for a year of no meeting in person.
- Gratitude for the conversations held early in the pandemic shutdown to hear how communities were coping and being creative in providing services for clients.
- Gratitude for free webinars designed to discuss policy issues brought to light by the pandemic that were keeping specific groups and individuals under-resourced.
- Gratitude that we were able to offer our annual conference online and free of charge.
- Gratitude for on-demand workshops and trainings that provided a way for communities to continue educating about being under-resourced.
On New Year’s Day 2020 I would never have envisioned months of no travel or face-to-face conversations. I didn’t know I would learn about different training platforms or meet new people through my computer screen. As I look into 2021, I take with me gratitude for the new skills I have learned and for being a part of the “new normal” as it emerges.
