North Texans Reflect on What They Hope Returns in 2021, What They've Learned From Its Absence

On the final day of a year like none of us have ever experienced, we took to social media asking people to reflect on what they've missed most.

Of course, among the responses were big things like time away from loved ones.  

“I don’t want to cry,” said Michelle Logan.

The Rockwall mom got emotional talking about her young kids who no longer get to see their aunts and uncles.

“We don’t get together and play games and just visit each other and just forget all the things life throws at us on a day to day basis. Those are our outlets for support, and we don’t get those except through video chat or through phone calls,” said Logan.

But as hard as that's been, it turns out what many have found themselves missing are those mundane, everyday things like small talk with coworkers, standing closer than six-feet apart and a world without masks.

“I do hope that maybe I can smile at people again,” said Marisa Pennington.

Some said they long for live entertainment again like concerts, live comedy, baseball games and the events that have become annual traditions like Grapevine’s GrapeFest.

“My husband and I definitely missed festivals the most,” said Christie Partee.

For some, it’s simply the daily routines.

“It’s surprising. I never thought that I’d miss carpool and five o'clock traffic. I have four kids, and that was my life before the pandemic, driving them around and spending a lot of time together in the car,” said Regina Frydman.

It’s normalcy that many are deciding they took for granted.

“There have been some blessings in all that we've been through. We've learned a lot,” said Frydman.

So perhaps, as we look ahead to 2021 with optimism and hope, we'll able to look back to find a new appreciation for the interactions and routines that we hope will soon return.