One day, many years from now, you’ll put your hand into the pocket of an old coat. But instead of headphones, you pull out an old, wrinkled face mask. 97% of 2020 was pure chaos, tragedy, and dumpster fires. But in this season of gratitude, let’s try to remember the other 3%.
A record number of pets were adopted
Bored, lonely, or otherwise, a LOT of people adopted pets during quarantine. Shelters and rescue organizations across the country reported record rates of adoption applications. Some shelters even ran out of adoptable pets. If that wasn’t heart-warming enough, there was also an increase in home fostering. Animal lovers came to the rescue of shelters facing staffing and volunteer shortages during the lockdowns. A lot of people have suffered as a result of the 2020, but, fortunately, dogs did not.
Low-cost, accessible mental health care is now flooding the market
The wonderful “Nature is Healing” trend
Swans in the Venice Canal. Kangaroos exploring the city of Adelaide. Herds of sheep taking over the streets of Turkey. Goats doing parkour in a Wales neighborhood. Mass shutdowns have given us a glimpse of the natural worlds we’ve plowed through for our own interests. Without humans around, nature is taking it back. The parodies of this viral trend were pretty great, too:
Everyone got creative
TikTok, sourdough bread, mask-making— anyone that ever said “If only I had more time, I would do _” got their wish.
We were forced to acknowledge the flaws, disparities, and injustices in our social systems and country.
We made headway in combatting the US Brain Drain
The phenomenon of Brain Drain is largely framed as a global crisis threatening developing countries. But Brain Drain is also coming from inside the house — and it has been for a long time. Data starting back in the 1940s has shown a steady exodus of talent, education, and human capital out of the central US towards both coasts. But the widespread boom of remote work has proven to many companies that employees don’t need to physically be in the room where it’s all happening. This opens up opportunities for individuals for creative and tech careers located across the