This year started like any other: families and friends gathered in celebration as they made resolutions, shared stories and watched football games. While some nursed headaches, others consumed holiday leftovers in preparation for diet season. 2020 brought with it the promise of fresh possibilities and new beginnings. But not unlike passengers boarding the Titanic, we had no idea what was in store for us…
COVID struck and brought the world to its knees. It also changed the way we think, the way we act and the way we talk. Flattening the curve, social distancing, timed entry, new normal, herd immunity, self-quarantine, CARES/PPE/PPP/WFH/WHO became common phrases in everyday conversation. Words like “Zoom,” which was once a children’s show, and “pivot,” a command that Rachel and Chandler followed while helping Ross move his couch, are now homonyms that describe how we spend our time.
The pandemic also caused us to be creative, patient, mutable and insightful. Many are meeting for virtual happy hours, binge-watching offerings on Netflix and enjoying drive-by birthday parties, drive-in movies and drive-through holiday experiences. Just as summer summoned sidewalk chalk artists and porch party musicians, maybe we can hope for snow sculptures and projection mapping projects this coming winter.
While there will be no standing ovations as the curtain closes on 2020, a cautious optimism reigns with the approach of the New Year. Event organizers and the general public are seduced by the promise of an effective vaccine. But when will audiences feel comfortable assembling en masse? There is some concern that patrons have become complacent with live-streaming telecasts viewed from the comfort of their homes. But humans are social beings and after a year of sheltering-in-place, it is more likely that they will embrace the new freedom. Like the Munchkins hiding in the flower patch, they will emerge at the encouragement of a melodious voice telling them that “It’s all right now – you may all come out.”
