I am seeing something happen this year that I never expected. Well TBH, there are a lot of things that have happened this year that I never expected. This has definitely been a year for worsts and firsts.
But what I didn’t expect was that we would forget to be thankful.
I know this has been a horrible year for all, and I realize we have lost a lot. So many things have been cancelled or shut down, and now there are even restrictions on what you do in your home.
But there is still much to be thankful for.
In the past, when we had all of our freedoms and privileges intact and when nothing was going wrong in the world, folks would post on social media every day what they were thankful for. It was a challenge that thousands of folks took part in every year. For some reason, we skipped that this year.
Now if you have been doing that and I haven’t seen it, my apologies and well done. Honestly, I myself have never managed to post a thankful post every day – I usually forget after the third day. So I am going to try to catch up. Here goes:
This year, in 2020, I am thankful for :
- Masks. There. I said it. I haven’t smelled someone’s coffee breath since March and I can’t complain. I have also been able to stick my tongue out at all kinds of folks and they have no idea. They also remind me very quickly when I haven’t brushed my teeth.
- Social distancing. I am a youth pastor. I love social distancing. I was preaching social distancing before it was even a thing. And to think I only wanted 6 inches. 6 whole feet?! It’s been a dream. Take that snuggling teenagers!
- Toilet Paper. The white gold. You don’t know what you have until you don’t have it. I honestly think that the toilet paper shortage had the biggest impact on the economy. A lack of toilet paper will bring anything to a screeching halt. But when you find a roll of that wonderfulness – it’s a good day.
- Hand Sanitizer. But only the good smelling kind. I appreciate all these companies who retrofitted to make sanitizer – but if you can’t make it and have it smell good, why bother? Also, you never have to ask the question “Do I have any paper cuts?” when you are using hand sanitizer.
- Universal Excuse. It seems like you can get away with almost anything by using Covid as an excuse. Q: “Why were you late for work?” A: “Covid”. Q: “What do we tell the Joneses about dinner tomorrow?” A: “We can’t. Covid.” I can’t wait to get pulled over and use it. Q: “Sir, is there a reason you were driving so fast?” A: “Yes I heard a report that Covid does not stick to surfaces going over 70 miles per hour. So, Covid.”
- Social Distancing. Yes, again. Really, some people don’t understand the concept of a personal bubble. They get all up in your grill and close the gap when you try to back up. And who likes it when the dude in the store stands behind you so close you can tell what he had for lunch? Go stand on your circle bro.
- Random out of stock items. Some things just can’t stay on the shelf and there is no logical explanation for it. I get meat, milk, bread, etc. That just makes sense. But some things just disappear for no reason. It has brought out the hunter/gatherer in all of us.
- Amazon. Not really for me, but it has kept my wife sane. Pretty sure they are opening a warehouse down the road from us to just save time bringing things to our house. Wouldn’t be surprised if Santa was driving a Prime tractor trailer instead of a sleigh this year.
- Disney Plus. I have been able to relive my childhood on Disney Plus. I have subjected my kids to movies that rocked my world, and then had to apologize because I never realized how terrible they were. That said, there is a lot of material on there for some remakes. Let’s reboot Flight of the Navigator!
- Melatonin. Wow. How was I ever sleeping without Melatonin? What a wonderful thing! They need to expand the products involving Melatonin. Like melatonin jello cups or melatonin ice cream. Dark chocolate covered melatonin would be the bomb.
- Food delivery. From Grub Hub to Instacart – food coming to your door is just another reminder of how lazy we have become, but I am good with it. The day that quality restaurant food comes to your door and you never have to deal with waiting for a table, the waiter ignoring you, the kids going nuts until the food shows up – this was a good day.
- Curbside pickup. Curbside pickup at Target has saved my life and my budget. Because we all know you just can’t run into Target for 10 minutes, and you can’t just buy one thing. Buying one thing turns into carrying a basket, which turns into pushing a cart, which turns into over 45 minutes to just buy TP and you spend over $100 whilst forgetting to actually get the TP. Thank you curbside pickup.
- Home cooked meals. Say what you will about a quarantine, but when my wife has time to cook, she cooks. All those recipe books that were propping up the shelf that held all the Ramen really came in handy. Definitely secured my Dad bod physique during this pandemic.
- The Postal Service. I don’t know about your neighborhood, but our mail delivery turned into a completely random event. Which makes getting mail all the more exciting. It really has become a throw back to the Pony Express – you never know when it’s going to show up, the mail carrier is exhausted, and there is always a chance that angry savages will attack.
- Mask varieties. Some folks just go with the standard hospital special – keeping it legit and safe. But there have been some masks that have brought out the ingenuity in some folks without question. I have seen shop rags, shirt sleeves, sleep masks, and socks worn in desperation to enter a store. Thank goodness we aren’t all wearing the same mask. It would get pretty boring.
- Government officials. This has been a trying time for all of them, but I am thankful regardless. Hey, pretty sure I voted for some of them. And to think before all of this – I had no idea who some of my state’s officials were! Now I know who my governor and my county executive are! I even know who the governors are for several other states. Never thought I would know that.
- Reviews. In all the online purchases we have made in the past few months, reading the reviews on any given item have been the best part of some of these purchases. People are just plain funny and have some pretty high expectations for something you’re spending $15 dollars on that’s coming to you in 3 days from China. People and their opinions are what make the internet so amazing!
See, just like that I was able to find 17 days worth of things to be thankful for even in a pandemic. Obviously, most of these are dripping in sarcasm, and the list is meant to be lighthearted. Realistically, we are blessed. Even in a pandemic, with political turmoil, overbearing regulations, civic unrest, and a renewed toilet paper shortage – there’s a lot to be thankful for.
Go make your list and be thankful for it.
Just Dan Grant 