Without a doubt 2020 has been the most trying year in the life of everyone living today. This is also the time of year when people reflect back on the year that is almost gone and take stock of how it was for them.
It is easier to find the bad that we encountered in 2020, like having to adjust to working from home with only mediocre internet reception, getting laid off or losing your job completely. Everyone thinks they were . . .
hit the worst until they think of the restaurant owners, bars and music events that shut their doors forever.
How many employees depended on those employers that are gone forever? How about the oil and transport industry workers? I wonder how many sleepless nights they had or will have before some resemblance of normal returns, or will it return?
I am amazed at the resilience of farmers who adjusted to cutting back to fit the new reduced need. I am amazed at the speed that food processors adjusted to change from packaging to suit the restaurants’ demand for large, bulk packaging to packaging that families buy in the grocery stores.
We should all be grateful to our first responders, doctors, nurses, police, social workers, clergy, etc. who were forced to immediately accept longer shifts and be ready for more emergency situations. Increased stress levels which were invisible to many had to be met and resolved immediately to in some cases prevent family abuse or even suicide. All of our food, health, and other essential workers had to continue on even though for life saving reasons, others only had to stay at home, keep a cow length apart, or wear a mask.
I still remember returning from a 50 mile voyage during a provincial lock down to pick up parts in another province so that our cattle could be fed and waiting in a long line at the border, while some people in the mile long lineup were very upset because they were turned back from their weekly beer run to Quebec.
Our children have had to adjust to less in-the-classroom learning to more learning from home. Teachers and college professors who never were trained at college, how to teach by Zoom had to take classes quickly so that they could deliver top quality education from a distance.
Municipal, provincial and federal governments were sometimes also forced to work longer hours and harder from remote locations and even by telephone.
We also learned that in many cases for organizations like milk, beef and other boards it was just as productive and much less expensive to meet by Zoom or some other platform.
Just as our grandparents already knew 100 years ago, when they drove the horse and buggy, many both short and long trips could be planned to be more productive or postponed. When the most recent shut down was quickly imposed some of our week before Christmas shopping had to be moved from our own town to Ontario where some stores were still open. This was another solid blow to our local merchants.
Good news, when we look around most of our family and friends are still with us to talk to on the phone, Zoom, Snapchat, or some other computer connection. We can still visit our shut-ins at a retirement home by waving through the window. We are thankful that they are there to wave at.
Many of us and our children and grandchildren have learned that gardening can not only be a cash saver but working with the land is very rewarding. I will never forget the smell of grandma’s cooking. Now, my grandkids can offer me the same great smells and baking. Families have rediscovered that often the best meals are made at home.
We have had time to appreciate the important things in life and I sincerely hope that everyone can find a rewarding job.
We have learned to appreciate the positive in our life and remember what we have learned in this very very tough 2020.
When our farmers meet their animals on Christmas morning, they will be met with a Merry Christmas grunt, oink or roar.
Merry Christmas to all, call your friends and relatives who are alone and let’s all try to make 2021 the best ever.
Chris Judd is a farmer in Clarendon on land that has been in his family for generations.
gladcrest@gmail.com
