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Silver Linings: A Positive Spin on the Year Behind and Ahead of Us
by Daria Maystruk
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While everyone had high hopes for the year 2020 - the universe had another plan in mind. Promises of a bright, roaring 20’s came tumbling down with the news of a strange respiratory virus, murder hornets, and much more. To say that it was a tough year would be an understatement.
Turns out, there were more similarities between 2020 and 1920 than we bargained for.
At times like these, optimism can be a hard feat to achieve, especially when everything seems to be going wrong. Even as an optimist myself, I still find myself falling into the never-ending downhill spiral of “it’s all just going to get worse, isn’t it?” But that’s just it. If things can get worse, then surely there’s some good in the current moment? If it can get worse, then we are not at our lowest. That doesn’t mean it won’t get better of course, but it does mean that no situation is 100% bad. We don’t live in a silent film - life isn’t just black or white.
Personally, I know my friends and I were all looking forward to spending what was supposed to be the most fun grade together in school. I had just found my friend group, and I had finally started to learn more and more about my identity, especially how I communicate and collaborate with others. Having the opportunity to continue my path in the predicted direction ripped away was a shock, to say the least. But what about grad photos, senior sunrise, and saying goodbye to all of the people we grew up with?
Sure, I was more than disappointed to see these hopes slowly fade away. But without saying goodbye to these plans, I wouldn’t be where I am today - writing this article. I wouldn’t have learned more about myself during my extensive alone time, I wouldn’t have made new friends, I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to discover new interests and be taught by so many new, amazing teachers, and so much more.
With this in mind, I wanted to share a few reasons to smile with anyone who needed it, especially as we get ready to enter a new year. The first step? Pitching the idea for this column to Ms. Hamer, who suggested creating a Google Form to gather stories for the first feature to put a positive spin on this dreadful year that shall-not-be-named.
Inevitably, some of the same lessons I had learned were going to be echoed, but everyone’s experiences are so unique that it is certain we could collect more reasons to smile. Let’s take a look at a few memorable quotes!
“I discovered a passion for cooking that I never knew I had.” - Michael B.
“I discovered a passion for cooking that I never knew I had.” - Michael B.
“After this experience, I realized how fortunate I am to be in a house with my family and have good health.” - Farah H.
“After this experience, I realized how fortunate I am to be in a house with my family and have good health.” - Farah H.
“My love for reading resurfaced… I find that reading is much like travelling except easier. It allows me to immerse myself in unique worlds that are like no other. After all, I suppose I could say that I travelled quite a bit this year” - Vicky N.
“My love for reading resurfaced… I find that reading is much like travelling except easier. It allows me to immerse myself in unique worlds that are like no other. After all, I suppose I could say that I travelled quite a bit this year” - Vicky N.
“We built our garden and this year we yielded so much fresh fruit, vegetables and herbs! We even grew pumpkins!” - Ali K.
“We built our garden and this year we yielded so much fresh fruit, vegetables and herbs! We even grew pumpkins!” - Ali K.
“When we switched to online it helped with my anxiety and it was less stressful.” - Finn W.
“When we switched to online it helped with my anxiety and it was less stressful.” - Finn W.
“The main one I can think of is the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement. Racism is something that has always been present in society, and since lots of people weren't working as much in the past few months, it has brought light upon this issue through the protests and campaigns.” - Milind K.
“The main one I can think of is the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement. Racism is something that has always been present in society, and since lots of people weren't working as much in the past few months, it has brought light upon this issue through the protests and campaigns.” - Milind K.
“I started talking to one of my school friends...We started FaceTiming with mutual friends and eventually one on one. Maybe once a week. That once a week turned into everyday. We found so much in common, our humour especially. Actually, she’s on FaceTime with me right now, telling me about her plan to wake up at 6am (she won’t). To sum it all up, she’s my best friend. She’s the silver lining of this dark year.” - H.S.
“I started talking to one of my school friends...We started FaceTiming with mutual friends and eventually one on one. Maybe once a week. That once a week turned into everyday. We found so much in common, our humour especially. Actually, she’s on FaceTime with me right now, telling me about her plan to wake up at 6am (she won’t). To sum it all up, she’s my best friend. She’s the silver lining of this dark year.” - H.S.
“I would never have thought that I would have the chance to meet people from different parts of Ottawa, I think it brought more diversity in who I meet and talk to in class!” - Amani A.
“I would never have thought that I would have the chance to meet people from different parts of Ottawa, I think it brought more diversity in who I meet and talk to in class!” - Amani A.
“During this period of time my cousins and I spent a lot of time together, and I realized that staying home and spending time with family is just as good as going to a basketball game.” - Hayden K.
“During this period of time my cousins and I spent a lot of time together, and I realized that staying home and spending time with family is just as good as going to a basketball game.” - Hayden K.
To read the full Silver Linings stories submitted by OCV students, read the slides below.
Thank you all for your submissions! I loved hearing each and every one, and I look forward to continuing to spread positivity to the OCVSS community through this column. No matter what happened this year, there’s always the next. And even if 2021 brings us more bad, I think it’s safe to say there will always be a silver lining to whatever happens. If my long-winded rants and sometimes philosophical ideas can make just one person’s day better (hopefully without being too cheesy), then I know my column has done its job.
Stay tuned for more positivity! ☺
Layout and links by Daria Maystruk
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