2020… What the Heck Was That?!?!
We Are With You Every Step of the Way
Looking back, December 31st, 2019, just when the clock struck midnight and we celebrated the arrival of the New Year, it’s safe to say that most of us didn’t have a clue about what 2020 would bring. Fast forward to January 18, 2021, it is appropriate to say that It has been a long and overwhelming year.
Many have lost loved ones, others are living with long-term effects. Many businesses have been forced to close and some have had to lay off employees in order to stay afloat. So many have lost their jobs and are struggling to make a living. Many feel sad, scared, frustrated, and broken.
The terrible effects of the Covid-19 pandemic are incalculable and, in some cases, irreparable. We have missed family and friends, birthday celebrations, milestones, holidays, dining out and many other events, which we now realize we took for granted. We were forced to change overnight how we go about our everyday life; our value systems were put to the test and even the simple things did not seem simple anymore. For a few months’ parents had to take over their kids schooling. New challenges emerged from a global state of emergency and the normal life was replaced by the “New Normal”.
It is only fair and equally important to remember the good that came out of a mostly awful year, you know… the silver linings.
With extra time on our hands and concern for others, many have reached out using telephone, email, social media to old friends and acquaintances who we have not seen or heard from in a long time. In our case a steady regular stream of phone calls to those who might be feeling a bit low because of depression, loneliness, and too many scary articles. As a result, we have rekindled old friendships and acquaintances.
It was exciting to see how people around the globe brushed up on their sewing skills and started making masks for people who needed them most. Distilleries around the country used their resources to produce badly needed alcohol and hand sanitizer. Restaurants got very creative to enforce social distancing by introducing acrylic partitions and pool noodle hats.
Many small and large businesses found ways to collaborate in the making of masks, face shields, and protective gowns for first line workers. Ford, GM, Tesla and other automakers were able to make ventilators and other medical devices to help with the pandemic. Health care workers and essential workers finally got the recognition and value they deserve. Many rescued cats and dogs got a new home. We came up with creative ways to celebrate big milestones like drive-by birthdays and Zoom parties. We got a chance to slow down and rethink our priorities.
So, in the future when we think of 2020, we should also remember the good things that we managed to glean from this reality. On a personal side, we were blessed with our very first grandchild! So, 2020 has decidedly a different meaning for us now, it is Maddie’s birth year! (Baby photos available upon request) We should think about the different ways people got creative and came up with so many great ideas to help in any way they could.
2021 is going to be an interesting year for us all. The element of surprise is behind us and we can now move forward, Eyes Wide Open! For the team at Hunter Expositions, a focused effort to explore other areas where our expertise and assets could also be used to satisfy new demands. The resulting efforts have taken us to solutions in the Workspace (office dividers) and Retail Space (plexiglass barriers) environments such as well as new products and services in the Museum and Gallery Spaces. There will be more to come on all of this as we update our website and create the new material for you all to see. We are not finished; we are continuing our search and exploration and ask that if you have areas of concern where we can assist or have ideas of what you feel might be needed, please reach out and share with us. Your input and contribution are welcomed.
Wishing you all the very best in this New Years’ journey!!
