As we near Thanksgiving, I increasingly find myself looking for positive things—partly to help diminish my sadness about the still-mounting COVID-19 deaths and the nearly universal strain that everyone, perhaps especially those in health care, seems to be feeling.

As I wrote in last November’s editorial:

“Though I’m by no means a Pollyanna, I do believe incessant dwelling on the negatives doesn’t help any of us; we also need to examine the positives. I recall how exhausting it was to work a long, hard shift alongside someone who complained about everything. The negativity colored my own perceptions and stayed with me well after the shift ended. Conversely, working with colleagues who offered support and voiced a “we will get through this” attitude inspired confidence and optimism. My first nurse manager in the ED was superb at this, especially during some very harrowing shifts.”

What are you grateful for?

I went on to offer a list of things that I was grateful for, including public health officials, the nurses who have been there for patients under sometimes impossible conditions, scientists who worked on vaccines that have now saved millions of lives, grocery clerks and restaurant workers and many others who kept things running, and yes, the team at AJN.

But, as I also wrote in last year’s editorial, “I challenge you to come up with your own lists. . . The heartaches will inevitably come, so it’s important that we celebrate the successes and keep faith that yes, we will prevail.”