Top 10 0f 2020
We can probably all agree that 2020 has been one for the record books. In retrospect, I should have kept a journal so I could remember it all - that is if I actually want to remember it! When I sat down to put my blog together this week, I realized I was stumped. How do you write a blog to reflect on this year? After countless attempts to put something meaningful together I nearly gave up…and then Jess (our resident millennial) came up with an idea – we should do a “Top 10 List” Letterman style for the year – Brilliant! So, at our staff meeting this week we spent way too much time reminiscing about the year and putting together our Top 10. So, without further ado, we present SHC’s Top 10 List of the Most Surprising Observations & Events in 2020…and let me tell you it was hard to narrow it down!
(Disclaimer – we are not comedians, contrary to my own disillusion! Our Top 10 is a mix of positive, negative, humorous, insightful, and hopeful observations.)
#10 Masking-up became so normal so fast (at least in the city). Even though we still haven’t figured out how to wear a mask without fogging up our glasses, we’ve adapted. Now we sport a whole collection of patterns and colors.
#9 Some things that are off-limits or discouraged this year are so tempting…which feels kind of, well, naughty. Example – flying. Getting through security takes 5-minutes and its cheap. We know we’re not supposed to do it, but human instinct is to take advantage of the opportunity. Of course, there are a host of things like flying that are just so tempting because they’re easy this year which is unprecedented.
#8 Restaurants and coffee shops are the backbone of our communities and neighborhoods. It’s where we go to meet, interact, and socialize. As planners we’ve talked about this for decades, but this year has highlighted what we lose when these important community gathering places go dark.
#7 Our Team was lucky enough to have won a couple of new project with communities we haven’t worked with before. We were fortunate. Our Team is in-tact and we’re working with some great new clients.
#6 While we all Zoomed, we learned that it is not a perfect replacement for in-person interaction. Technology has allowed us to all go on for the past year, but there are some things it just can’t do well. Like facilitating a large meeting and reading a room – you just can’t do it. But what we did learn is that we can use virtual platforms to keep us connected and business moving forward. From virtual city council meetings to Zoom happy hours, we’ve learned we can do a lot virtually which will probably change our definition of our market area forever.
#5 Never did we think we would get choked up watching semi-trucks leave a distribution hub as the first vaccines were shipped across the country.
#4 Businesses, of all types and industries, have demonstrated their ability to pivot, adapt, and innovate. It is truly inspirational to see how much businesses, both large and small, have accomplished in the last 10 months, which is probably more than the last 5-years combined.
#3 We finally elected a woman to the second highest office in the United States. As a woman-owned small business, we gotta admit that’s pretty awesome.
#2 The Minneapolis and Saint Paul riots happened in our neighborhood. Never did we think that such an event would put the Twin Cities on a world-wide map. Never did we think we would have to clean out our offices in fear that our business might be destroyed. That happened.
And finally…
#1 Remember back in March when we thought if we just hunkered down for 14-days it would all get better?
Hope you all have a wonderful holiday season, and here’s to 2021!
- Jennifer, with help from the SHC Team