Who would have ever guessed the year 2020 would include a pandemic known as coronavirus, a tense election with the fallout continuing, civil unrest and one of the most active storm seasons to date?
Let’s not forget the deaths of some highly-respected members of society who had an immense impact on the lives of many: the Lakers’ Kobe Bryant, actors Chadwick Bosman and Sean Connery, guitarist Eddie Van Halen, TV hosts Regis Philbin and Alex Trebek, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and U.S. Rep. John Lewis, to name just a few.
The list goes on and on when looking back at the year that inundated our lives with stress, anger, despair and anxiety in wanting to move to a fresh, new start with 2021 around the corner. We’ve lost family and friends to the coronavirus. We’ve had a heated debate or two over Facebook or in personal conversation. But with all the times of pain and anguish, I’m sure there’s a glimmering moment — minute or grand — or a few you can recall.
On the national stage, look no further than SpaceX Dragon 2 making its first crewed flight to the International Space Station in May as part of the Commercial Crew Program. And just recently, a second crewed Dragon flight launched with four astronauts on board in a landmark mission between NASA and SpaceX to return human spaceflight capabilities.
Just north of the island chain, Tampa Bay seems to be the new “title town” with the Lightning snagging the Stanley Cup and the Rays winning the American League pennant. And with Tom Brady in town, the area is buzzing. Sports, especially winning, always seems to take our minds off on the negative as fans and the community celebrate.
Then there are the moments we’ve shared with friends and loved ones. Just recently, a friend of mine I’ve come to know well over the last year had his first baby after waiting a week and a half for his arrival. As he was waiting, I couldn’t help but notice how calm, cool and collected he was. My friend described it as “surreal and awesome” when his young one came into the world. With a grin from ear to ear, there he was holding his little bundle of joy.
There are also the moments we’ve had personally. Jumping out of the comfort zone to try new things like painting and mixed martial arts were moments I’ll look back on fondly. And, oh yes, I did a thing and finally threw some ink on my arm. Six and a half hours later, I walked out of South of Heaven Tattoo having started my sleeve and having to explain to my mom that no, I wouldn’t be coloring my body from toe to shoulder. And no, I had no idea I had such pain tolerance.
But one of the cooler, more eye-opening experiences was my recent visit to see my friend Nicole Navarro of Pawsitive Beginnings Inc. in Key Largo. Those familiar with her story know she’s welcomed four furry friends to her residence in foxes Louie, Libby, Penny and Jasper. Their fur wasn’t deemed valuable due to breeding blemishes, and they were left to die until a midwest rescue came in to save them. Navarro ended up driving to Ohio to get Louie and Libby and north Florida to retrieve Penny and Jasper.
They’ll play and respond to Navarro, but it’s a different story for men, given the trauma they’ve been through in their lives. For Penny, however, her fear seemingly was overcome.
As I met with Navarro, she mentioned she wanted to try something involving Penny and me. The young, red fox was lounging underneath a cot where Navarro raised to give her a treat. Of the four, Navarro said Penny’s been the most receptive to human interaction.
Navarro then passed a treat to my hand to see if Penny would take it. With my hand out and treat dangling, I waited as she scratched away at her neck for a minute. When Penny was done, she moseyed on over, put her nose on the treat and within a moment took it gently away from my fingertips. It was the first time Penny had done such a thing. And never did I think I’d be handing out a treat to a fox.
Families will gather for a Thanksgiving feast, and it may look and feel different than prior gatherings due to the pandemic. It may be easy to fall back and talk about all that 2020 has thrown our way, but don’t forget to look back on that “Penny moment” that brought a smile, a laugh or a good memory.
