November 17, 2020
Being Thankful
If it sounds like this article is coming one week early, it is. I have a theory that readership of the Tuesday Letter goes down on the weeks with long holiday weekends. Thank you for at least pretending to be shocked by that statement. To the every-single-week readers out there, don’t worry. There will be a message next week, too.
Life is seldom easy, but 2020 has been a particularly tough year. There is no getting around it. We have our COVID-19 challenge. Behavioral health concerns run rampant. We still have soldiers in harm’s way. Our weather patterns have been extreme. Wildfires have struck here and throughout much of the West. The election season was bitter and divisive. When we add things like these and the threat of murder hornets in to our normal-but-difficult life challenges, such as the passing of loved ones, it is easy to feel exasperated.
I read a meme the other day that said, “Given 2020, if you are reading this, you have a lot to be thankful for!”
Let that sink in.
If you have not gotten COVID-19, you have successfully defended yourself to date. Be thankful, and keep it up.
If you did contract COVID-19, you are receiving medical attention or have already fought it and won. Be thankful.
If you lost a loved one this year, be thankful for the lives they led, and how they positively affected you and our society.
If your normal program delivery, job duties, and preferred work style were upended this year due to our COVID-19 challenge, – be thankful. We learned new ways to do things. We adapted. We persevered. We delivered.
Despite our programming challenges, our traditional learners and clients still had the opportunity to receive our programs and showcase their efforts. They may have learned new technological life skills along the way.
Because of our COVID-19 challenge, we gained many new learners and clients. Many will stay with us following the challenge. Be thankful.
Despite the fact that our traditional Thanksgiving activities may be reduced in size and scope this year, be thankful. We still have a harvest to celebrate. We will have great, nutritious and safe food on our tables. We can also put those newly developed/improved technology skills to work to commune with those who cannot be with us in person this year.
And, when you return to your virtual or actual office following Thanksgiving, be thankful. You have a team of colleagues there that believe in our Extension mission just as much as you do. They have the passion for providing the research, education and facilitation that the people we serve need to improve their lives, livelihoods and communities. Like your passion for Extension, theirs never wavers, either. In good times and in times like 2020, they, like you, are impactful. They want you and the people we serve to succeed.
Be very, very thankful.