2020 has been a year unlike any I can recall and thank goodness for that. If I go through the rest of my life not experiencing a year like this one, I’ll consider myself blessed. There are a few takeaways from our experience that I feel are noteworthy.
First, as bad as this year was/is, it is unlikely that 2021 or any year in the foreseeable decades to come will be equally as harrowing. Out of the deaths and financial consequences from this year, we’ve collectively learned a lot. One lesson has been that science matters. It should have gone without saying, but skepticism has become the zeitgeist of the day. Regardless, taking precautions to protect ourselves, families and loved ones has become a more routine practice than ever before. Also, with new treatments, therapies and vaccines on the way, we may be cresting into a more manageable state of COVID.
Second, many of us decided to travel less. This happened in such large numbers that we did less damage to the environment in 2020 than we have in any year over the past few decades. This of course ties into another area of skeptical science – climate change. I know there are still some steadfast disbelievers in the damage caused by carbon emissions, but that doesn’t matter as much when even they stay home more often.
Third, as bad as this year was, it wasn’t bad in Bent Tree. Sure, some of our neighbors unfortunately contracted COVID. That was bound to happen. But we never had a widespread outbreak in Bent Tree, Jasper or Pickens County. We can all be thankful that the First Mountain City isn’t so densely populated as to leaving us in an environment like cities in our neighboring Cherokee County.
Fourth, we live in one of the beautiful environments on earth. One of the primary reasons for this is that over the centuries, our little neck of the woods hasn’t been overdeveloped. We may have nearly 1,100 homes, but we haven’t paved paradise to put up a parking lot. Sharptop Mountain looks nearly the same as it always has. Lake Tamarack still is a giant beautiful oasis in the middle of our community.
And many of our forests are still vibrantly healthy.
When you look at the big picture, 2020 was still bad, but there may have not been a better place on earth to experience it. Our gorgeous neighborhood remained safe, mostly disease free, and our neighbors and staff kept looking after each other. We still can see the stars at night and listen to the serene sounds of nature to help us sleep, while not having to worry about crime, pollution or other maladies that most places taken for granted.
Making the best of things requires us to focus on the positive aspects of a bad situation. Here’s to a brighter tomorrow and healthier 2021.
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