We're halfway through 2021: How does it compare with last year?

Much time and many tweets were expended last December saying goodbye and good riddance to 2020. And with good reasons, really, almost all of them having to do with a little thing called COVID-19 (you may have heard of it...it’s been in all the papers).

This was not only cathartic for a lot of people, it also put pressure on 2021 to be better. Much better. Having reached the halfway point of the year, here's what we can say about it:

Good Things About 2021 So Far

• We're "emerging from the pandemic," as the phrase goes. Cases, hospitalizations, and deaths are all down. This is undoubtedly great news.
• On Jan. 10th, my Cleveland Browns defeated the team from Pittsburgh in a playoff game. It is always encouraging to know that, at least occasionally, good wins out over evil.
• Celebrity deaths seem to be down from last year, I think? Not that celebrities' lives are any more valuable than any other lives, but if nothing else, we use them as barometers for how old we ourselves are. Last year it seemed like a movie star was dying every 24 hours.
• The U.N. declared this the International Year of Fruits and Vegetables. This designation is virtually meaningless, I know, but I eat a lot of fruits and vegetables and feel like they deserve their own year.

Bad Things About 2021 So Far

• We (and by "we" I mean Americans, though I think this is probably also globally applicable) still seem to be yelling at each other a lot and mistrusting each other and generally feeling smug and superior to those who do not happen to share our worldview. This may never go away, but that doesn't mean it shouldn't be raised as a depressing, terrible thing, which it is.
• There are still COVID variants in many parts of the world, and while it's human nature to just want to move on and forget about the virus, many people can't. And you have to assume those variants are going to take root here.
• In that same vein, my daughter Melanie had the virus in January and still cannot smell. This doesn't seem to bother her in the least, but it bothers me.
• I know I'm not alone in this, but I ate way too much cake in the first half of 2021. My cake consumption needs to come down. (I tend to eat as much cake as I do fruits and vegetables. I don't think it balances out well.)

Here are three good things that came out of 2020...at least for me

Tonight we say goodbye to 2020, and I don't know a single person who feels the least bit sad about that.

A global pandemic, social and political unrest, economic uncertainty, and those Australian wildfires that feel like they happened five years ago will do that.

On top of it all, my family endured the loss of both my mom and my mother-in-law within 18 days of one another this past summer.

I'm with you if you think 2020 can go suck eggs.

As always, though, there is both good and bad. These past 365 days haven't been all gloom and doom.

Here are three good things about 2020 from my life. I'm almost certain you can come up with three (or more) of your own.

(1) I got to work from home and (mostly) loved it

The circumstances necessitating that millions of us suddenly become telecommuters in March were obviously not great, but I quickly fell in love with the routine. True, I miss seeing my co-workers. I mean, I really miss seeing them. Occasional visits to a mostly empty office don't cut it. On the other hand, I've saved a whole lot of money on gas and car maintenance, so there's that. And I enjoy being around my family so much. I wouldn't mind if, even after we got back to normal, my company maintained a schedule where those who are able to alternate days between working from home and working in the office can do so.

(2) I finished my master's degree program

It was a good 25 or so years later than I had intended, but I finally got that elusive graduate degree. I used space in this blog to whine about the workload on several occasions, but I finished in July. I'm proud of that.

(3) I end the year with the same incredible family with which I started it

Never, ever take the people in your life for granted. Life is too amazingly short and fragile for that. No list of good things in my life would be complete if my wife and five kids weren't part of it. They are the best things about my existence. Thankfully, 2020 didn't change that.