I think everyone has said this in every way that it can be said: this year has been crazy. I don’t think there’s even one person who was totally prepared for everything that 2020 had to throw at us. This year was supposed to be something different; for all of us. It was supposed to be the year that I move out of my college apartment and get my first adult job and start making a name for myself in my career track.
A lot of us were supposed to do a lot of things.
And then everything changed. Some of us lost our jobs, some of us had to move back in with parents and/or loved ones, and even worse, some of us experienced loss. I can’t believe how many families have been affected by tragedies this year. My heart goes out to everyone who is hurting and missing their loved ones.
We all struggled during the quarantine. I missed going to the gym, seeing my friends, and having the life I had experienced the past two decades. And then, instead of focusing what I was sad about, I decided to focus on what I was grateful for.
I am grateful for my health. I have been very careful since March, only seeing family and close friends outside of work. When I meet up with one of my best friends, we either socially distance or have a Zoom movie night. Because of how careful I have been, I have been healthy. I am grateful for being able to go out every day to either work or seeing my family and having the chance to do what I want.
I am grateful for my parents. They have been so supportive during these trying times and every day I am reminded just how lucky I am to have them in my life. Mom, Dad, I love you.
I am grateful for my love of reading. My love of reading got recharged during the pandemic and I found more books and authors that I now dearly love. I got to spend much of the time indoors enjoying different worlds within books.
I am grateful for my friends. I get to chat with my friends every day (mostly over social media or FaceTime, but I am so happy that I get to see them that it doesn’t matter). I have some of the best friends anyone could ever wish for and I am so glad that I get to call them my friends.
I am grateful for my job, where I can have a somewhat normal routine. I have been very lucky to have a job during this time and even more lucky to work with such an amazing team. I love my coworkers and how smart and hard-working they are. Even though this wasn’t the future I had anticipated, I am happy when I get to work with them every day.
I am grateful that I was able to finish college this year and receive my degree. Ever since March, my school was online and I felt deeply saddened when I didn’t have the opportunity to see my friends or peers in class anymore. I used to love walking to class because I would always run into a friend or someone I knew. But, with that said, I am grateful that I only had one semester of online school. Several of my friends are still in college and are hating their online classes. I wish that everything could be back to normal, especially when I think about college.
I am grateful for my leopard gecko, Ferguson Toulouse. When my first gecko had passed away in August, I was distraught. Ferguson Toulouse was adopted two days later and has become the light of my life. I love him and the joy that he brings me. I always look forward to going home after work or after seeing a friend because I get to hold him. He’s the cutest thing in the world and brings me such pure joy. I am grateful that he is healthy and strong.
There are more things that I am grateful for, but if I were to list every single thing that brought me peace or joy or any other emotion, this post would be way too long. I am grateful for the life that I live.
I wanted to write this post just as an affirmation of what I am grateful for, but also as a letter to those in my life who make it better. Thank you, to everyone. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for making my life better and putting a smile on my face every day.
With utmost love,
Kaitlin
Kaitlin H Powell 