Is 2021 really what we’ve all been waiting for?

Again and again we hear people around us commentating on how 2020 has been quite a year to remember, and not in a good way. Forget the weather, all we can small talk about is how excited we are for this year to be over. Lately it seems like everyone has a different opinion on literally everything, but if we can collectively agree on anything, it’s that 2020 has left us with much to be desired. So, here we are at the end of 2020, and it feels like there’s a common understanding between everyone that… “If we can just make it out of 2020…” we’ll be okay. 

Now that we’re just one month out from our proposed ‘light at the end of the tunnel’ or 2021 as some like to call it, we must pose the question… is a ball dropping in Times Square really all it takes to right the ship? While it might not be an overnight shift from constant closures to pre-COVID times, there is good news. A recent CNN news article shared that “at least three of the experimental [COVID-19] vaccines show remarkable efficacy.” With things looking up on the vaccine front, we’re able to take a step back and acknowledge that this year has forced us to innovate, collaborate, and get creative in ways that we never have before. 

The truth is that we never know what the next year will hold. It’s likely that very few of us had any idea what we were in store for as we excitedly rang in the New Year at parties just one year ago. Championing 2020 like it would be the best year of our lives, ready for something new and exciting-- only to find just a couple months later that 2020 would be starkly different from what we had hoped. 

In July of 2020 the Washington Post published an article about COVID-19 saying, “No one knows what 2021 will bring. Nobody knows what the “new normal” will look like. Will there be wedding ceremonies featuring every person a couple has ever met, packed stadiums, concert venues with thousands of people crooning the same tune? Will the now-2021 Summer Olympics happen? Will awards shows be back? Will we even care? There are no clear answers. But there is hope.” 

All of these statements are still true. Five months later, and we’re still not sure what 2021 will hold, but we are hopeful for a brighter year as the world continues to band together for the greater good.