The good of 2020

I'm not going to say 'look on the brightside.' I'm not going to mention the big C. Nope. I want to leave this year on a positive note, looking ahead gladly and back gratefully. So I put together the top 7 GOOD things to come out of 2020. 

1. Second Best in the world. 
       Canada was officially declared the second-best country in the world by USNews. I'm fond of the fact we were #1 for quality of life and #2 in citizenship (which is "cares about human rights, cares about the environment, gender equality, progressive, religious freedom, respects property rights, trustworthy, well-distributed political power.") Also, they ranked Canada as the most trustworthy country in another report, which makes me proud.  

See the entire list here: 
https://www.usnews.com/media/best-countries/overall-rankings-2020.pdf

2. CO2 emissions went DOWN.
    Although we plateaued in 2019, 2020 saw a decrease in Co2 emissions globally. One part due to lockdown measures, but who knows? Maybe the global interest in renewable resources is hitting its stride too. I like the idea of a better future due to using smarter energy resources. It's becoming affordable to be green!
 
They checked in April, so here's the article: 
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41558-020-0797-x

3. 15 minutes of fame for David Ayres
      It was just a nice story: David Ayres was the 42-year-old  Zamboni driver emergency goalie who came to the rescue of the Carolina Hurricanes as they battled the Toronto Maple Leafs in February. Although it happened in Toronto, and David was from Toronto, and he was recruited to play against the Leafs, he was good as gold and made eight saves on ten shots. Thanks to his honest efforts, the Hurricanes beat the Leafs 6-3. He was a sensation afterward and truly embodied the spirit of the game and being Canadian. 

He's in wikipedia now...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Ayres


4. Speaking moistly
      In another moment of levity, watch Justin Trudeau's speech when he made the error of saying "speaking moistly," a phrase that you could see he instantly regretted. Of course, Canadians ran with it. It became a song and a lip balm! 

The slip: 
https://globalnews.ca/news/6792967/coronavirus-trudeau-speaking-moistly/

The song:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eySDeBdqxGY

The… lip balm?
https://paintedpeopletattoos.com/product/speaking-moistly-natural-lip-balm/

5. The Mary W. Jackson NASA Headquarters building. 
       NASA recognized the work of a hidden historical contributor to the space program: Mary W. Jackson.  Jackson was the first African American female engineer at NASA in 1958 and was instrumental in getting the USA into space as one of their 'human computers' But, like many of the time, she was given no recognition until now. This was the latest move in NASA's attempt at reconciliation with their past, where 'Hidden Figures' went unrecognized for decades because they were female or of a minority. It's a good thing to see. 

Check out the press release here:
https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-names-headquarters-after-hidden-figure-mary-w-jackson

6. Mutant Enzyme Heralds Breakthrough in Recycling
     An enzyme was discovered in 2012 that could breakdown plastic faster than expected degradation (which is freakily slow). So what does humanity do?  Optimize it. 
Now we can use it to break down plastics in a matter of hours, and the products can be reused for new products! Score another one for science.

Click here for the news!
https://www.forbes.com/sites/scottsnowden/2020/04/11/new-enzyme-breaks-down-plastic-in-hours/?sh=285698175e4e

7. Big finale? Dec 7th 2020. 
       Marcus Andrew Ronald Lambert, our little rainbow baby, made our family into a family of four.  If you're unfamiliar with a 'rainbow baby,' it's the one born after a loss (miscarriage or stillborn). I experienced two miscarriages on our journey to have Marcus. Welcoming him into the family has been a long time coming. 

I hope you have other things to be grateful for in 2020. It's those silver linings that I hold to as we advance into 2021. May the New Year bring great prospects and opportunities for us all.