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OPINION: Find the positives in a negative year

The Henry Hype
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I think we can all agree that 2020 sucked.   

The coronavirus went off like a bomb just a few months into a new decade we all had high hopes for, and the aftershocks are still coming.  

Events were cancelled, we were confined to our homes for weeks on end, businesses shut their doors (some permanently), jobs were lost, hugs were all but outlawed, most of us have only seen family through our computer screens, and the hits just kept on coming.   

While all of that was awful, the worst part is the ever-growing death rate. People forced to die alone in a hospital bed, while medical professionals watch helplessly. Canada alone has reported almost 13,000 deaths.  

With the new year quickly approaching, I find myself doing what I do every December and looking back on the year that was. While there were a lot of negatives that happened, I chose instead to look at the positives that happened in 2020.  

I don’t know about you, but I saved a lot of money on gas this year. I actually got to sit and enjoy my books and I even beat my book reading goal. I was also introduced to audiobooks, which was a major factor in helping me get through a lot of novels this year. My snack game was on point during the lockdown and I enjoyed a lot of movies and tv shows I never would have watched if I was on my regular, hectic schedule.

I was not only a part of my friends wedding, but I officiated the whole thing.   

My life, along with everyone else’s, slowed down enough for me to realize what really matters. I wasn’t able to be locked down with my family, but I talked to them constantly to make sure they were all safe and healthy.   

I’m forever thankful I still have a job in a field that I worked hard to break into, and that I’m still able to share stories from the community, even if that decreased a bit this year. I worked extra hard to keep my stories factual and true, because I knew people would be turning to their local newspaper to stay up to date with what’s happening.   

When we’re talking about all of the negatives and world-shattering events that happened this year, it could take up all of our papers in 2021. You can get bogged down in it, and that’s why I choose to look at the positives. Even if it’s just a handful of things, hopefully, they still bring a smile to your face.   

Robynne Henry, Bonnyville Nouvelle




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