A Little Dose of Positivity: 31 Seriously Awesome Things that Happened in 2020
2020 sucked in many ways; I’m assuming I don’t need to explain why.
SO, I thought it might be nice to end the year on a more positive note…because there were actually good things that happened, too!
In case you missed them all in the moment, here are
31 amazing things that happened in 2020
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1 - Virtual Museums became popular
With so many live museums shut down, many opened up aspects of their collections to the public in other ways. This is pretty cool for anyone who’d never be able to go there in their lifetime anyways.
Here are just a few of your couch museum trip options.
2 - Artists found creative ways to spread joy
The UceLi Quartet performed at the Gran Teatre del Liceu to an audience of houseplants. It was a fundraiser for the Hospital Clínic of Barcelona.
The best part?
They still asked the audience to turn off their mobile phones!
The end of the video is also pretty adorable.
3 - So many people adopted rescue animals this year that many agencies found it difficult to keep up
There were places that were reporting more applications for pets than pets that were available…which RARELY happens.
4 - Many local distilleries added a new product to their shelves
Lots of distilleries started making hand sanitizer this year…some to sell, and some for free.
It’s always good news when something essential comes from a local source!
Here’s a compilation of many of the Canadian distilleries now offering hand sanitizer
5 - Crayola launched a new product line of Skin Tone Crayons!
There are now 24 different crayon shades for different coloured skin tones. The 32 count crayon pack is the most popular because it also comes with a few classic colours for eyes and hair.
There are also markers and coloured pencils.
6 - Bike stores boomed
This was not only great if you were in the bike business, but it means some people were getting in more outdoor exercise than usual!
7 - Laura Benanti created Sunshine Songs
Young performers with cancelled high school shows were invited to share a video of their performance online. These performances have been brought to seniors homes and other vulnerable/lonely communities and are also available online.
Side note, there were LOTS of online theatrical performances. While there are usually a ton of barriers to making these types of shows happen, many of the restrictions on account of there being no other options available.
Some people (including me) really appreciated these performances. If you’d like to know more about this perspective, check out:
Please Keep Streaming Alive - A Little Plea from a Small-Town Canadian Theatre Nerd
8 - Healthcare workers got some appreciation
For a while, it became normal for everyone to go out on their balconies and thank healthcare workers with applause and banging pots and pans. It was a beautiful, uniting factor at a time when many people were house-bound in lockdown…and others were working on the frontline every day.
9 - Scotland became the first country to offer pads and tampons for free
Many thanks to the Period Products Bill!
10 - Many factories pivoted to make PPE and other medical devices
Sometimes the best way to solve a problem is to solve it yourself!
11 - Actors and Comedians found their voice online
With everyone working through their Netflix backlog of things to watch, more and more apartment-bound humans were looking beyond regular streaming services for entertainment. This means more and more people were starting to watch self-produced shorts and funny, timely videos on places like YouTube.
Check out one of the best ones from this year:
Explaining the Pandemic to my Past Self
12 - We gained an appreciation for sweatpants and pj bottoms.
Zoom meetings mean you only need to look good from the waist up!
13 - The Black Lives Matter movement gained much more traction than ever before
There may even be hope for the future on this one.
Here’s a “getting started” reading list for those of you who want to learn more:
14 - People discovered the world of free online courses
Indigenous Canada even became legitimately trendy - how cool is that??
Here are some sources for other free online courses
(not all are completely free - check them out on a case-by-case basis):
15 - Hamilton got released early on Disney+
It’s always a good day when a Broadway musical goes mainstream. Now, I dare you to watch Phillipa Soo through the whole thing and NOT CRY.
16 - Large blue butterflies have been successfully re-introduced to the UK
They were officially declared extinct in 1979
17 - It snowed chocolate in one Swiss town
…though this is probably only a good news story if you DON’T live in Olten…but the idea of it snowing Lindt chocolate is kind of a magical sight.
18 - Sea Turtles may be making a comeback
While this northern Mexican beach usually sees about 500 younglings hatch, there was a record number of 2,250 babies head out to sea this year.
This was largely thanks to the efforts of a local indigenous group (whose job was likely made easier this year because of reduced tourist numbers).
19 - An Italian couple met on their balconies during lockdown and are now engaged
Some people are calling them the 2020 Romeo and Juliet.
Hopefully their story doesn’t end quite so dramatically!
20 - Pay-it-forward chain at Minnesota DQ
When one person offers to pay for the next person’s drive-though order, the chain usually only lasts for a few cars…20-30 is considered a good stretch.
This chain lasted for 2.5 days and included about 900 orders
21 - There were some very kind strangers this year.
One secret santa in Edmonton delivered at least 400 $250 gift cards to local families to help them through the holiday season.
22 - New Zealand may be small, but it’s put itself on the map for smartness and kindness many times this year.
Their final swoop of nicety in 2020 was to purchase additional vaccines to give to neighbouring countries for free.
23 - Countries are starting to get behind implementing bans on single use plastics.
While progress was made pre-pandemic, the snap change to exclusively take-out in many areas while also avoiding “bring your own cups and bags”-type policies for health concerns hasn’t been great for the planet. Many areas are refocusing their efforts on this one, thankfully.
Here’s some of Canada’s plastic ban journey
24 - The Ocean Cleanup Sunglasses
These sunglasses are made from plastic from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, and 100% of the proceeds will go towards future cleanup efforts.
25 - A group of thoughtful teens created an app for those living with dementia in lockdown.
It has soothing music and face/voice recognition capabilities as well as puzzle games, reminders, and other useful/heartwarming functions.
It’s called Memory Haven
26 - Berlin launched a state-run department store of exclusively second-hand and recycled goods.
It’s part of their city-wide plan to be zero-waste by 2030.
27 - A small Finnish town rewards its citizens for lowering their daily CO2 emissions.
An app tracks their daily output, and if you get in under the quota, you earn virtual money….to buy things like cake!
28 - Budapest orchestra launched The Beethoven Project with special concerts for the hard of hearing.
Since Beethoven was also deaf, creating a concert of this style is of particular significance. There were special hearing aids available, balloons that would vibrate with the sound waves, and others were invited onto the stage to feel the instruments as they were played.
I don’t know if there’s anything that could be a better ode to Beethoven’s 250th anniversary than this kind of concert.
29 - Dublin becomes the first European capital with a zero-emissions postal delivery service.
Lego created a unique set of bricks to help children with visual impairment (or ANYONE, for that matter) learn braille the fun way!
31 - Luxembourg becomes the first country to make all public transit free.
No more explanation necessary!