Gratitude for the little things helps in 2020

“The year of coronavirus has been an emotional roller coaster. Beginning with fear and months-long precautions, to limiting outings and physical contact with family, to acceptance of the new reality, to the hope for an end to it and a better future. My mood has been more up than down. Generally, I’ve been OK. But I’ve noticed that keeping up with the news has a secondary effect: numbness to every new outrage or new statistic climbing higher. Politicians making it a political issue instead of a matter-of-fact public health issue is infuriating but not surprising. Seeing how dangerous and indeed fatal that rhetoric is, but also seeing how many Americans don’t feel compelled to follow new safety protocols, is disappointing and scary.

“A saying I learned a long time ago has gotten me through every rotten moment: ‘Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others.’ When you have gratitude for the little things, the bigger problems don’t seem so insurmountable. Seeing my fellow Baytonians create art in so many different ways is a real shot in the arm (no pun intended, given our circumstances). Finding new ways to communicate with people through technology shows how adaptable and steadfast the human need is to be connected with each other. Seeing people post observations from our tiny corner of the world gives me a laugh or makes me shed a tear. It means that in one form or another, we are getting through it all together. Painting, writing a witty post on social media, cooking a favorite meal, wearing a mask to protect others, having a long phone conversation, sending a letter, playing with pets, enjoying a new TV show, seeing antiquated, oppressive systems being dismantled, watching brilliant people come up with solutions to global problems — all that is hope. I am hopeful.”

— Joshua Villegas