9 things that have got better over the last 6 months

I get annoyed at the news articles that occasionally pop up online, which discuss how great the last 6-months have been as it allowed people to "slow down" or "get to know themselves". Or, which laughably, suggest that virtual concerts and festivals are nearly as good as the real thing. According to a recent poll, 50% of Canadians think 2020 is the worst year of their lives ever.* That's half of everyone.

2020 has been brutal, let's just accept that. But unlike those who pretend that online versions of real experiences are somehow as good, I think I can objectively and honestly say that there have been some good things out of this year's COVID-19 mess:

1. White collared jobs like mine will never be 100% in the office again in my lifetime. I was at the forefront of the stay-at-home revolution as I've been working from home in some capacity for almost 7 years. But I had to negotiate that. Now, some sort of work-from-arrangement is likely here permanently!
2. Glosette Girl learned to bake kick a** bread!
3. I never would have seen Charlevoix without this mess. 
4. I got to teach Margot a bit of piano. Was fun -she's a fast learner!
5. Expectations when it comes to acceptable office attire and hair were blown out the window. I almost had a mullet! Although I have a new hair do now it's more youthful than what I had before. I probably would never have tried this without the forced closures of barbershops and hair salons.
6. People finally realized how crappy old folks in old age homes are treated.
7. For the first couple of months there was almost no traffic on the roads. For those close enough to access some of greenspace, it was a walker's dream to get to these sites and appreciate nature even more.
   
8. Some alternative experiences have been a success. Normally, there is a fireworks display at the Casino Lac-Leamy at this time of year. But this time, in an effort to spread out the crowds, 8  locations were used to launch simultaneous and identical fireworks across the city. Was really innovative and actually more enjoyable than crowding into one location.
   
9. And (this is occasionally a mixed blessing if you ask me on a bad day!) I got to spend more time with the 'fam! Haha in all honesty we haven't fought that much and it's been more good than bad.
   

Soakin' in the lights

*Makes 2018 not look so bad in comparison! Remember this post?