Photo by Thought Catalog on Unsplash

Most people would think of 2020 as the worst year to date. But here at Girls Nite Live, we like to focus on the positives. We went around and asked our beloved staff (and interns) some of their most positive experiences of the year. From mask-wearing benefits to quality time with family, we all had a lot to share.

What was one positive thing to come out of the year 2020?

We heard some pretty positive responses. Here are some of our favorites:

• “I didn’t have to go to the dentist!” 

• “More time with my kids (also, a negative thing – just kidding, sort of).”

• “Since March, I have bought gas four times. I saved money!” 

• “Embracing change as we navigated a new way of life throughout the virus.”

What’s something you learned about yourself in 2020?

The past year has been a year of growth, change, and difficulties. With that, lessons have been learned and new versions of ourselves have been born. And that is pretty dang cool. 

Some of us learned that self-care is essential: 

• “Self-care is a radical act that requires attention and energy.”

While others discovered their cooking skills . . . or lack thereof: 

• “I learned I could make chicken about 15 different ways.” 

• “I am a really bad cook!”

Perhaps most important, we learned the value of who is in our corner. Quality over quantity with those we have in our life:

• “I only need like three friends!”

What’s the best piece of news you received in 2020?

In a year where personal journals are full of bad news, it was the little moments that got us through 2020:

• “Taylor Swift released not one, but two surprise albums! It’s the little things for me.”

Some of us are excited about new additions to our lives, in terms of our families…

• “I am going to be a grandmother again!”

…And our careers:

•  “I landed an agent for my novel.”

Then, in November, we received some historic news: 

• “First female VP!”

And, finally, a light at the end of the tunnel:

• “The COVID vaccine distribution!”

What’s your favorite thing about wearing a mask?

Mandatory masks certainly are not our favorite thing about 2020, but they are not all bad. Some of us got creative:

• “I made my own masks so it was fun buying new fabrics.”

While the majority of us used masks as an opportunity to embrace our inner introvert:

• “You can more easily avoid talking to people at the grocery store by saying you didn’t recognize them.”

• “You don’t have to worry about people seeing food stuck in your teeth.”

• “No one can tell if I look bad underneath it.”

If 2020 has taught us anything, it is that we are responsible for creating our own happiness. In a year as bad as this has been, it is the little joys that pulled us through: the warmth from the breath trapped behind our face masks, only having to do half a face of makeup, new favorite songs, movies, and shows, and, best of all, fewer trips to the dentist. Thanks to our collective months of forced self-reflection, we look forward to entering 2021 as more compassionate, understanding, and appreciative people.