By Mike Gay

What a heck of a year! To say this has been a wild ride is an understatement for most. The Latin phrase improvidus, apto, quod victum really seems to fit this year to a tee.

Our local city officials — you know the ones. The jokers who impose a mask mandate and threaten small businesses with fines; the ones who blatantly violate the trust of the people by hiding their agenda from public view; the one who try to extend their terms, and move their meeting times; the ones buying buildings for far more than they are worth and thumbing their nose at the people at every turn.

Elections have consequences. So does bad behavior, so city leaders should remember that.

We all know the Pandemic was something nobody was prepared for. From lockdowns to at home learning. The great 2020 TP Panic which much like COVID has exploded around the globe again for round two.

An abysmal presidential election that’s still not over. I blame the media as well as the educational system for this. The number of people who fail to grasp the difference between a democracy and a constitutional republic is mind-numbingly obvious. We failed to teach civics and history correctly and we are paying for it. We are doomed to repeat that history.

Despite the crap show that 2020 has been, if you look up from your electronics, turn off that TV and look around you will see it. This year has shown that we can improvise, adapt and overcome!

Those who face the Adversity every day and keep going — the doctors, nurses, police, fire and EMS — they never give up. Ever! They continue to push themselves past exhaustion to make sure the needs of their community are met.

Teachers — you know the ones who love your kids almost as much as you do — they greet your kids at school with a genuine smile and desire to educate those kids. They never give up, though many sure need a raise for their efforts. They never give up. Ever!

Countless others took the opportunity of the last year to finish school, get physically fit, or to reach out to those in need. Many continue to work with our local homeless, snack packs for kids and meet other needs in the community without fanfare and praise.

So my thanksgiving suggestion is to improvise, adapt, and overcome.

Be thankful you woke up this morning. Do something nice for someone else. Do something for yourself and your family.

Mike Gay is an Amarillo resident and podcaster.