Throughout COVID, so many things have moved to more advanced technology. There are video calls, online ordering, and contact tracing apps that we now rely on. However, one of the most important resources I’ve found in this time goes back in time to my local public library. Though I use the apps for ebooks and managing requests, I actually find browsing the shelves and grabbing physical copies of the books to bring me the most enjoyment.

The promise of remote work and electronic communication isn’t new, but it certainly ramped up and grew to so many new industries during the pandemic. When everyone went remote last year, the use of Zoom, Slack, and Teams all skyrocketed and we were promised that this new era of productivity software would result in flexibility and increased productivity. But in the end, are our lives actually better for it, and are we better able to enjoy our personal lives?

It’s been a year and I can no longer keep track of the days. We’re nearly a full year into the COVID pandemic lockdown and while I’ve adapted to it in numerous ways, merely coping with our reality means that there are days I can’t distinguish from others. Through this, we’re all just about running on empty and grasping on to any positive signs of change to recharge the batteries a bit.

Last weekend, over two feet of snow fell in Northern NJ, blanketing the region for the first time this year. With the fresh feet of powder, possibilities of outdoor activities with the boys opened up for me. Normally in the winter, we’re cooped up inside because of the cold. This year, when it’s been below freezing and incredibly windy what feels like every day, and obviously with COVID, the only real thing we do on weekends is stay around the house.

Let’s face it, COVID sucks. It’s destroyed the health and lives of millions, and disrupted nearly everyone’s life this year. For all of the terrible parts though, there are a few things that 2020 brought us that I hope we keep beyond the pandemic. The necessity of social distancing and staying outdoor has introduced several meaningful changes to our lives that I have enjoyed and want to keep. I can’t complain entirely about 2020.

Back in October, which in the year 2020 feels like a year ago, we got a bit crazy for Prime Day. It came at the perfect time after seven months working from home with at least about the same left remaining, so we knew what our days would be like for the foreseeable future and what things would most impact our daily lives. As always, we went electronics heavy, though ended up with fewer Amazon devices than in years past.

‘Tis the season for stuff. With the holidays coming up, my kids are already asking for presents from Santa and expecting to have a ton of things to do while we are at home. While it’s easy to just load them up with tons of new stuff, we’re trying to continue our practice of teaching them to appreciate things and value experience and the things they already have rather than just grabbing for new things.

Bigger than recycling, or an electric car, or minimizing impact through reuse, reducing meat consumption is the biggest thing an individual can do to reduce their impact on the environment and aid sustainability. Meat production, specifically the agriculture needed to maintain livestock, accounts for as much greenhouse gas production as the entire transportation industry, including cars, trucks, planes, and ships. That’s why the advances in plant based food and even lab grown meat are so exciting, they may be able to remove a huge portion of the most destructive industries we rely on.

Thanks for nothing. After a spring of COVID lockdowns, closings, and distancing, we went back to doing nothing this summer, and now we are going to pay for it this winter. After hunkering down and going nowhere, doing basically nothing, and inventing countless hours of basement games, it looks like we’ll be doing it long into 2021, and even more, we will have nearly two full weeks with school closed before the end of the year.

Small business Saturday is not a new concept this year, but in a time when so many small business are either disappearing or at a huge risk due to COVID, it feels especially important to find ways to give them our help where we can. As so many larger companies continue to grow among the pandemic, it’s the smaller shops, retailers, and restaurants that are hurting the most. While it’s important to find ways to patronize these businesses more than one day a year, Small Business Saturday can be a good reminder or jumping off point to discover some of the excellent options around.