2020 has without question tested all of us. In general, New Zealanders have done themselves proud, rising to the occasion to display a collective support and community spirit when it was most needed. Adapting with versatility to the changing conditions. Showing patience and an understanding of others.
Nevertheless, some of us have suffered more than the rest, so spare a thought as we go into Christmas for those who no longer have their normal resources to see them through; those who never had the resources in the first place; those who did lose people to Covid; those with loved ones overseas to worry about; those who found themselves isolated this year and have struggled to come back; those trying to get their heads around an entirely new way of working.
Nestled in the big picture have been the small triumphs: weddings, graduations, new homes, new jobs, new skills. Children. Music. Food. Wine. The good stuff.
And for a while, the planet got to breathe a little more easily.
