Here’s the thing. We are living in historic times. When your children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren ask what it was like during the pandemic of 2020, you will be able to say that you helped make 100,000 masks free of charge for anyone who needed them. Have we as a group really taken a step back and recognized how incredible that is? In a moment of unprecedented times, in the midst of a financial meltdown of epic proportions, we’ve raised enough money, put in the time, and labored tirelessly to put 100,000 people in masks. (Rounding up by 4K, but we WILL get there)

Stay at home orders, protests in the street, economy going down the tubes. Murder hornets and sub Saharan dust storms.  No toilet paper to be found. Unreasonable pressure to cultivate a home garden and sourdough starter. An international pandemic. Historically low gas prices with nowhere to go. And the cicadas still to come.

We survived. We showed up for each other. We sacrificed for the greater good, and we put together a LOT of puzzles. We fed our families, dealt with overwhelming loneliness, get creative in making connections, and learned a lot about being a global as well as a local community.

Has it been hard? Yes. Did it bring out the best and the worst of us and teach us to grow? Yes. Are we sick of cooking and ready to dive headfirst into the salsa bowl at a Mexican restaurant? Also yes.

But. You can do hard things. You can unabashedly claim hero status for the rest of your life. When things seem stuck and hard and too frustrating, remind yourself of just how much you have done. And be proud.