Today is the day to look back on the year and be thankful for the many blessings I have.
Last year, I wrote "Much like 2018, 2019 has been a very challenging year." 2020 has
been "challenging" on a whole new level: a global pandemic has spread across the earth.
The disease, commonly known as COVID-19 ("19" because it was discovered in China in 2019)
apparently originated in bats and has evolved in such a way as to be alarmingly dangerous
to humans. The disease is responsible for about 1.5 million deaths in over 61 million
cases so far this year. In the United States, no leadership was shown from the White House
— the Trump Administration preferred to downplay the virus and the need for protective
measures — causing skyrocketing infections and the deaths of about 1/4 million
American citizens. The Trump Administration also politicized the virus, causing a very
strong correlation between party affiliation and views on protection. To be honest, yes,
2018 and 2019 were awful years, but they were nothing like the absolute shitshow 2020
is.
I and my family still seem to have our health — 2020 has made me more grateful for
our health over everything else this year — but it comes at a steep price, and
in a way that's different from what I wrote about last year. I've come to
believe that it's easier for me to deal with the pandemic, having lived in Central
America among a population hostile to Americans; but my wife and daughter haven't had
that experience. I think our society may be forever changed by the pandemic — many of us
(going back to the political division) have been wearing masks when outside of our homes
for the last several months, and who would have thought, in 2018, that hand sanitizer
and clorox® wipes would be such hit commodities this year? Hell, there was even a
shortage of toilet paper because people were hoarding it! HORARDING TOILET PAPER?!
The American economy in particular was probably the most notable collateral damage
of the pandemic reaching our shores. The Lieutenant Governor of Texas infamously told
people to get out and work "because there are more important things than living." —
I've actually got that quote memorized, because it was all over the news at least twice.
He said that in a televised interview. I have been out of work for four months.
My client simply "ghosted" me and the company I contract with. I found another job, but
COVID has complicated things there, too — I can't get fingerprinted at the local police
department because COVID is so rampant in the jails that they won't even allow their own
DISPATCHERS to receive the service. In a nutshell, I have two jobs and have made no money
for half the year. I'm thankful that our mortgage company has waived our payments during
the pandemic. I honestly don't know what we would have done had that not happened.
Along with sickness, death, and health complications that can stretch far into the
future, the pandemic has also brought with it isolation. Because COVID-19 spreads so
rapidly, and because temperatures across the United States are cooling because we're
now in autumn, smart people are staying as isolated as they can to stay safe. And that
is taking a toll on our collective mental and emotional health. I am grateful
for communication with friends over Facebook, and for being able to visit with relatives
via text messages and telephone calls. My mother lives in a care facility.
Facilities like hers are extremely susceptible to COVID-19 infection. I am
very grateful the owners and caregivers there are keeping everyone safe.
This year, politics got in the way of a lot of friendships, and some of my friends
left Facebook because of it. Trumpism has a very strong appeal for some, and there was
no shortage of fighting over almost ANYTHING posted to Facebook. Anything about poltics
or about COVID, both of which dominated pretty much everything about 2020, caused
quarreling. I'm sad for the people who suspended or closed their accounts, because
they perceived that something so bad had happened that they didn't want to be part
of Facebook anymore, and selfishly because by doing that, they've opted out of reach.
People I served with 25 and 30 years ago. This year on Veterans' Day I spent the day
reaching out to particularly people who have become passionately conservative to say
hello — to thank them for serving, thank them for our friendship, and to remind them
that we have memories together that should be stronger than the current political
climate. Some responded, some didn't. And that's okay. Even for
some veterans, observance of Veterans Day isn't for everybody. I'm still
thankful for each and every one of them, and the contributions we made.
I'm also very, very thankful that things with Kiddo appear to be improving.
She has had another very difficult year, and we learned that she was attacked several
times by her older step brother while she was in Kansas for the summer. Happily, somebody
contacted Child Protective Services about it in Kansas, which contacted an office here in
Texas; the incidents were investigated, and have been closed, which is something that must
happen before law enforcement takes over. I've no idea current status, but I'm extremely
grateful to whomever made the initial call. My wife and I only learned about it
well after the fact. Kiddo's other dad completely disbelieves that anything happened, and
went so far as to tell her she was sick, and not welcome in his home any longer. Our child
needs our support, maybe more now than ever before, and I'm proud to be a part of that effort.
Kiddo recognizes it, too — she has asked for my fullest commitment. We await for justice
to be served.
I am tremendously grateful to have learned about my birth parents this year.
I am very hopeful I'll hear back from the National Archives about my father's military
record — I understand he was killed in action in South Vietnam in 1972. I've always had a
respect for Vietnam veterans — it's part of the military culture — but now it's personal.
It's very personal.
2020 is a year in which being thankful isn't nearly as passive as previous years. The
health I'm grateful for is earned by discipline — the discipline to cover our faces,
the discipline to stay at home, the discipline to keep the outside world out and away.
I'm thankful we've been able to remain healthy until now, and I ask for the
strength and discipline to remain as vigilant over the coming months.