The past year and a half has been unspeakably difficult for many reasons. But even against the devastating backdrop of a global pandemic, there have been a few unexpected silver linings — or moments of gratitude and grace — for some.
Recently, redditor u/heartbreak-nostalgia asked, "Was there ever a time you were thankful the pandemic happened? What was the reason?" Here's what people said.
1. "My last child was born in the middle of quarantine. The extra time at home with my wife and all of our kids was absolutely priceless."
2. "I ended a long-term relationship during lockdown. It was the best decision I made. I got to learn a lot about myself."
3. "As an autistic person, I was grateful that I didn't have to spend all day wasting energy, pretending to be neuro-typical in order to be accepted by my colleagues."
4. "It allowed me to spend more time with my brother during his last months before he died of cancer. It was time I otherwise would have had to spend working."
5. "I stopped getting migraine headaches because I was not experiencing the stress of going into an office."
6. "I haven't gotten sick once since I started working from home."
7. "I've had the time to read so many books."
8. "I was able to move out of state while keeping my job."
"The only thing keeping me in my home state was my job, so when they told me I could move while keeping my position with the company, I didn't hesitate." —u/lineman77
9. "I will never not miss how light the traffic was."
10. "I learned to work on myself, my own mental issues, and my trauma slowly. I don’t think that would have happened without lockdown."
"Stuck inside with a lot of big feelings and nowhere to go, it forced me to confront myself." —u/SnooDonuts8606
11. "It made me reevaluate what I was doing with my life."
12. "Being able to wake up five minutes before my university classes."
13. "I got the chance to slow down the pace of life and stop overwhelming myself with the constant grind."
14. "I've saved a ton of money since the beginning of the pandemic with so many places being closed."
15. "Because I didn't have to commute, I had much more time to study. I did so well in school and got an 'A' in some really hard classes."
16. "Having my husband around at home every day after giving birth."
17. "The pandemic gave me time away from school to be admitted into the hospital for more than a month. It saved my life."
18. "It gave me a whole year to spend every day with my old dog before he crossed the rainbow bridge."
19. "I became more efficient and productive at my job."
"Thanks to remote working, I do three times as much while working much less. I can concentrate on my work, and I can spend hours coding without any interruptions." —u/FormalWath
20. "I was able to give birth and enjoy my baby in peace without my family harassing me in the delivery room."
21. "The pandemic taught me to never take things for granted, as you never know what can happen overnight."
"I also learned to appreciate my family a lot more, even though being in lockdown with my mother and sister did drive me a little crazy at times." —u/HazyMoonbeam
22. "I'm a major introvert, and for a year and a half, I didn’t have to make up an excuse for why I wasn't attending something."
23. "The past year, witnessing the state of my country throughout the pandemic, it reminded me how important it is to vote."
