As we begin to emerge further and further from our period of hibernation and enjoy social get-togethers with family and friends, the “like no other year” is invariably going to be the topic of conversation.
Just in the past week I’ve been involved in several of these, and the obvious issue is just how tough it’s been on each and every one of us, in varying degrees of difficulty.
I heard the stories of my teenage nieces and nephews who could not leave their house for three months and their parents who could leave only to shop for groceries and only alone.
I heard the banter about regional Victoria being dragged into the mire because of the Melbourne outbreaks and the impost on border communities hundreds of kilometres away from where hot spots were also emerging in Adelaide and now Sydney.
I’ve also heard of regional Victorians, possibly from areas like Mildura, who haven’t recorded a case for eight months being the target of annoyance (or worse) simply because they carried a Victorian numberplate and dared to travel into a patch interstate, even when allowed by health authorities.
And then there are the heart-breaking stories that are much, much closer to home.
The long dole queues in front of the Mildura’s Centrelink office. The sick prevented from getting potentially life-saving treatment interstate. The loved ones banned from being with a husband, a wife, their families and support structures.
No one has been immune.
It’s been a tough, long haul for us all with eternal hope that 2021 will bring with it a much, much brighter and rewarding year.
Next year, though, will be just the start of what will equally be a long haul back to anything resembling normal.
So while we plan ahead, perhaps still with a degree of uncertainty, it is worth taking a moment to look back with hindsight.
Back in January and February, we might have had (or thought we had) the same stresses, anxieties, grumbles and groans that we have today.
But in reality, things were pretty good.
Every business may not have been booming, but things were ticking along just fine.
The region was growing expeditiously, there was big spending on both sides of the border and businesses were popping up or expanding, thanks largely to local support.
And then there was the weekly sporting pursuits and leisure activities, people getting out and about enjoying a latte in the region’s Mediterranean summer or taking a walk or bike ride beside the beautiful backdrop of the Murray River.
Sure, there were bumps in the road but, yes, things were pretty good, and perhaps we were all a little guilty of taking that for granted.
This year might not have made a lot of sense to a lot of people, but it has shown us that we don’t have to win the Lotto to have a pretty special life in a pretty special place.
It’s the glass half-full mentality that will keep us in good stead as we move into a new year.
While the bad news may have seemed relentless at times, there’s always a reason to smile.
Sometimes you just don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone.
