It was New Year’s Eve 2019 and of the top resolutions being made that night, less screen time sat just behind getting finances in order and living a healthier life. Enter 2020.
Countless households took a deep financial hit, the plan to exercise gave way to the quarantine 15 and then of course, there’s the screens. The resolve to spend less time was quickly replaced by the necessity to increase it thanks to everything moving virtual. We also had to search for entertainment options right at home. But all that extra TV watching didn’t have an effect on us, right?
The greater part of the year left us wondering if this was The Real World or if we were part of The Twilight Zone, questioning if these were truly The Days of Our Lives. Going outside was said to put us in Jeopardy so we remained in our House with our social bubble, knowing the days of Full House would be put off for a while. By Christmas it was no more than a Party of Five.
We recognized how much we cherished Family Ties and we looked for ways to stay connected with Friends, as we truly missed our Bosom Buddies. Those living in the same household felt All in the Family was just a bit too close, and longed for extra square footage to spread out into The West Wing and avoid the Family Feud. Many had to isolate Upstairs Downstairs in their own homes in the hopes of ensuring Happy Endings.
The Office moved to kitchen tables where All Creatures Great and Small ruled the roost. If Lassie wanted to interrupt a meeting, he did, leaving us to wonder Who’s the Boss? All around the world the Wild Kingdom re-emerged, taking back some of the space we took from them While You Were Out.
We were asked to have only one member of the household go out and do the Supermarket Sweep. In some places the Designated Survivor faced a Jungle simply trying to buy Bare Necessities, hoping The Price is Right. Police clamped down on the Criminal Minds of those price gouging to make The Profit.
Our Parks and Recreation were shut down and our Sports Centre was now the kitchen table where board games and puzzles became the focus of Good Times.
With more time in our houses, we tackled Home Improvement, turning some people into Designing Women and others into Disaster DIY, putting their Life In Pieces.
People got desperate (or ambitious) enough to show off their Shear Genius cutting their own hair, making their own Soap or altering their clothes for the Next In Fashion. It was a time of paying homage to the skills needed for life in The Little House on the Prairie, despite living as a Modern Family.
We looked to leaders for guidance and plans, but found Stranger Things in Scandal and Big Little Lies, as well as benefits for some that will have our country living Til Debt Do Us Part.
Travel plans were put on hold when our Wings were clipped but it turned some of us into Road Rovers with time to explore what is In Our Backyard. Since we stayed close to home there was no worry of getting Lost in Another World.
Dating during the pandemic brought on a whole new set of complications for all looking for success in the Match Game. There will be many interesting Tales of the Unexpected in the years to come as people share the story of How I Met Your Mother. Meanwhile, The Rules of Engagement changed for those who had fallen in love and were planning to Say Yes to the Dress. Weddings became A Family Affair or a Picnic in the Park, which seemed to matter little to those actually getting married who were just wanting The Love Connection.
In church we couldn’t sit Too Close for Comfort, so people had to get used to Trading Spaces from the pew they might normally choose as they became The Masked Singer.
When our part of the world began reopening there were Happy Days in resuming some of what we used to know. But it didn’t last too long and we were told to Curb Your Enthusiasm as The Surge put us back under restrictions again.
There has been so much pain, such grief, such heartache for too many, but at times has brought out The Good Fight in us as we pulled together for each other. Each night Cheers came from balconies and street corners for The Good Doctor and Nurses in every ER and General Hospital around the world. We saw a Quantum Leap in the production of a vaccine and we move forward in Hope and Faith that this Life Unexpected will soon feel more like This Is Us.
The best thing we can do in this new year is to take comfort in the fact that we are Still Standing. We are thankful we live in The Good Place and can continue to take it One Day at a Time. That’s my outlook.
