In a year of turmoil, what is there to be grateful for?
This year has put a whole lot of the world through the wringer. It’s been long, isolating, and challenging. Despite all that, when our team chats, we find that we’ve had a lot of great experiences along the way. Below, find out what each of us is grateful for, from health to hammocks to coworkers.
What Angela is Grateful For:
This year it has been very easy to focus on all the bad things going on around us. Between politics and Covid, which sometimes blur, it’s been a very challenging year indeed. However, there is so much I can be thankful for this year. I’m thankful that I have been able to overcome challenging obstacles that have come my way. I’m thankful for my family helping me through all the tough, draining, stressful, and chaotic days when I wasn’t strong enough to do it on my own. I’m thankful for my amazing work team who has been rolling with the challenges of the world while also helping make the company better and better with each passing day.
It has not been an easy task to focus on the positive this year but I have made it a priority to make a conscious effort to stay in the right mindset. There have been plenty of days I have failed miserably but by having a strong support system I have made it through. For me, it helps tremendously to talk about my frustrations and fears. I’ve also started doing meditation in the morning and evening. Some days it’s just 2 minutes and others it’s 20 but no matter the length it’s helped more than I could have imagined. I’m hoping that 2021 will be a little less challenging but I have learned a lot this year and know I’m stronger that I thought.
What Tom is Grateful For:
This year, like many others, I have so much to be thankful for. With the world seeming to get crazier as each day goes by, I’ve learned to embrace relationships in a different way. I’m grateful for the health of my family and that they’ve more or less stayed safe and healthy in these uncertain times. I am grateful for an outstanding team that never gives up on providing the best service to our customers. I’m grateful for the friendships we’ve forged as a team. I’m grateful for game day Wednesday where our team checks out for an hour and plays some online board games. How cool is that?! These are the things that keep me sane, these are the things I’m most grateful for this year.
What Matteo is Grateful For:
First and foremost, I am grateful that my whole family has stayed safe and healthy! During these unpredictable times it has been tough to stay positive unless you do think about how lucky you are to be able to avoid what a lot of people have gone through.
I’m thankful to be able to see the smile on my family’s face every morning. More than anything, just playing and hanging out with my 2-year old makes me forget about all the other nonsense around us. So most of all, I am thankful that I have that wonderful distraction from the world around us.
I’m also very thankful that I have a steady job that has been consistently supporting my family through all this. Obviously, a lot of people’s jobs have been impacted in 2020, as was mine at one point. I am grateful I got through that time and I don’t have that added burden to worry about anymore.
What Chantelle is Grateful For:
This year has been absolutely insane, as all of us are aware! Despite that, it’s been a beautiful season of life in so many ways. I’m so grateful for a job and coworkers that truly support me and allow me to learn more about my interests and passions. I am so grateful for the long summer days that I enjoyed with my hammock and paddleboard. I’ve been able to continue to teach and coach college debate, and it is so awe-inspiring to watch that young talent develop. It’s been great to spend more time experimenting in the kitchen. When my household very first started quarantining back in March, I created a list of time-consuming bakes I wanted to make with my now-unlimited time at home. The very first thing I added was the famously challenging pastry kouign-amann. Today, to celebrate our tiny Thanksgiving, I’m finally baking them.
Perhaps more than anything, what’s keeping me sane is the ability to communicate and share love from afar by way of technology. At no time in the past have we had such a broad array of options when it comes to connecting with others. Because of this, I am able to stay connected to my family both near and far, my dear friends, and my wonderful coworkers. There’s certainly been some Zoom fatigue, yes – but how incredible is it that I can get a close-up of my nephew breathing for the first time, do killer workouts with my college friends, and have game sessions with work friends, all from thousands of miles away. Frankly, I’ll be glad to see this year gone. But I experienced some truly amazing things along the way.
