1.      Always have back-up rolls of toilet paper.

2.      Thank the healthcare workers. All. The. Time. They’re superheroes.

3.      Keep hand sanitizer on your person always! Why did we ever go out without it?

4.      Go outside and take a walk. I promise it’ll help.

5.      Zoom happy hours are just work meetings on a Friday afternoon in disguise.

6.      There’s nothing like the classic experience of watching a movie in theaters with a whole bunch of strangers. I miss every ‘ooh’ and ‘aah’ and every loud laugh that was funnier than the punchline itself.

7.      When in doubt about whether you should be wearing a mask, just throw it on. Better to wear your mask now, so we don’t have to wear it forever. And make sure your nose is covered so nobody steals it!

8.      A clean and thoughtful personal space can make all the difference for a productive day of working from home.

9.      Remove the word “unprecedented” from your vocabulary. I think we’ve hit the limit on that one.

10.   Don’t take dancing with someone for granted ever again.

11.   Standing six feet apart when waiting in line has more pros than cons. Can I get a “woot woot” for personal space!

12.   Even though we’ve all faced such a hard year, I have seen so much good done and lots of help offered within our community so nobody has to feel alone. Let’s keep it up. It does wonders.

13.   To all the students out there struggling with distance learning – you are doing your part just by showing up! Educators should understand and empathize with you as you continue to study amid a life-changing pandemic. There should not be an insurmountable pressure on students right now. It was already stressful enough pre-pandemic.

14.   There are occasions in life where time pauses in an unsettling way that forces us to count our blessings. And by those occasions, I mean the tragic passing of Kobe and Gianna Bryant, Chadwick Boseman, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Naya Rivera, Alex Trebek, and many more. You will all be missed very much.

15.   We’ve progressed past the need to continue blowing out candles on a birthday cake. It’s just impossible to forget the idea of spit particles going everywhere onto a group dessert.

16.   When you work on a team where nearly everyone’s skilled in video *cough* nona.media *cough* – just accept their Zoom backgrounds are always going to be better than yours.

17.   Playing Among Us is either a friendship-creator or friendship-destroyer. No in between. (I’m not an impostor, I swear! Orange is the one who’s sus.)

18.   The worst years have the best soundtracks. One day, we’ll get to hear songs from 2020 live, and it’ll be the most cathartic experience.

19.   Sometimes you need to hit rock bottom, and it’ll be painful. But the good news is about hitting rock bottom – you can only go up from here! It’s important to be open-minded and know, because of your difficulties, you now have the tools to success and longevity.

20.   Listen to and learn from the people who are voicing valid struggles and don’t see themselves represented or wanted in a country that they consider home. While it’s foolish to say we all need to work harmoniously, we still need to work together. We cannot stand for any more division.

I wish our resilient Nonahood a joyous, safe holiday season! Before we begin our countdown on New Year’s Eve, just take a moment to recognize that we made it through a hell of year. For a moment, don’t worry about the unknown of 2021 or reminisce on the difficulties of 2020; revel in the relief that we received a much-needed reset and pushed through each curveball to reach an unpromised tomorrow.