I'm Jocelyn K. Gly, and this is Hurry Slowly, a podcast about pacing yourself,

where I explore how you can find more calm, comfort, and clarity through the simple act of slowing down.

In the spirit of the approaching holidays, I decided to

collect stories about the strange gifts of 2020 for this episode. Now, it goes without saying that

2020 has been an incredibly trying, disorienting, and painful year. During the past nine months in which we were all wearing masks,

so much was unmasked.

We've seen many dark truths about ourselves and our country

that we cannot unsee.

But I wanted to shed some light on the good that has been uncovered as well.

So I asked my newsletter readers to respond to this question. How have you transmuted the challenges you faced

this past year into an insight or idea that has changed your perspective for the better? What

strange gifts have you mined from the hardship of 2020?

I received more responses than I can include in this episode, but each one moved me.

And many wrote to say that they were grateful for the prompt, to be asked to reflect on 2020 through a more hopeful lens.

So if you enjoyed this episode, you might

consider journaling response to that question yourself to see what emerges. What strange

gifts have you mind from the challenges of 2020? What follows is an edited collection of answers

to this question from the community, interwoven

with reflection and commentary from me.

I should note that I don't want this episode to come off as overly polyana-ish.

I know many among us are completely absorbed in this moment with just getting by, or with

grieving, or with juggling a million different concerns.

...