Was most of what we learned in 2020 stuff we didn’t want to know? Like what really happens during a global pandemic or an ultra-polarized presidential election? From wildfires and earthquakes to hurricanes and floods, it hasn’t been pretty. In fact, a lot of it has been frightening and heartbreaking. But there’s something in the human spirit that strives not only to endure, but also to thrive, even in the worst of times. Along with the bad of the past year, there’s been plenty of good. Tireless health care workers earned the title "hero.” Laid-off workers became entrepreneurs. People shared what they had with those who had less. Stripping away the "noise” of our everyday lives revealed what was really important. Here we offer you some tasty lemonade that folks made out of the bitter lemon that was 2020. Lisa Sylvester, WPXI-TV evening news anchor Sylvester said she tried to use the pandemic as an opportunity to impart lessons to her children, ages 10 and 13, from accepting a lack of control over what was happening in the world to doing something to help others. "We brainstormed as a family and we had a news story about a woman who set up a pop-up pantry, and so we decided to do the same thing in a neighborhood,” Sylvester said. For six weeks Sylvester bought extra groceries while her children made signs for their pop-up pantry, encouraging passersby to take what they needed. On Saturday or Sunday, whichever day had better weather, they’d post the signs, put out food, pet food and toiletries at 9 a.m. and pick up anything left at 5 p.m. "The best part was people added things to the pile of stuff. Somebody wrote us a really nice thank-you note,” Sylvester said. "It was a nice way to show no matter what was happening in the world, kindness matters. And something important for me to instill in my children is the best way to solve your own problems is to focus on someone else’s problem. It gives you perspective. If people are having trouble putting food on the table, suddenly your problems don’t seem so significant.” Ron Smiley, KDKA-TV meteorologist Smiley said riptides offer a lesson that also proved applicable to managing the headwaters of 2020. "When caught in a riptide, a person who is swimming toward the coast will never get there and will expend all their energy trying just to maintain their distance from the shore,” Smiley explained. "The way back to the coastline is to swim along the coast until out of the riptide. Then you can swim back to the coast. "This year to me has been all about navigating challenges, not necessarily head-on. You must find a new angle to get to where you want to be.” Michelle Wright, WTAE-TV morning news anchor It was surreal anchoring newscasts from her basement in the early days of the pandemic, Wright said, but it also gave her a new appreciation for today’s technology that allowed such a thing to occur. "We’re all used to just hopping on a Zoom call or Skype now, calling to check in at work, checking in with family and friends. That’s a good thing,” Wright said. "We need that connection and I’m just thankful that, if I had to go through a pandemic, it was at this time in the universe. I don’t know how the people in the pandemic in the early 1900s did it.” The pandemic also made Wright more aware of how small businesses need support, something she’s made an effort to do that she plans to continue going forward. "We’re all interconnected,” Wright said. "The poet said, ‘No man is an island,’ and I think we really saw that in action, not only because the virus is spreading but because businesses need us and we need to lean on each other. We need each other. You realize that the more you’re forced apart.” Hoda Kotb, NBC "Today” show anchor Kotb said 2020 taught her what she can let go of. "What I did realize, weirdly, I used to always have to do all this maintenance stuff — you did your nails, you did your hair — I just realized when you don’t do all that stuff, everything gets stronger,” Kotb said. "All those things you thought you could not live without, you realize when you do live without them, you actually are stronger because of it. You notice it when it comes to basic things, like time with your children, stuff you were always fitting in because you were racing around. "I think we just got a real priority reset, and we’ve stuck with it at our house,” she said. "The world snaps into focus. We have to decide what matters and what can go by the wayside.” Rick Sebak, WQED-TV producer/host Sebak said this year he learned to value comfort (shorts over long pants, most days), to try something new (he’s deejaying at Independent Brewing in Squirrel Hill, 5:30-8 p.m. most Wednesdays) and to do more work on his own, becoming his own camera operator and editor (though he misses in-person collaboration). The best thing to come out of 2020 for Sebak was a rekindling of old friendships, particularly three friends he used to work with at a PBS station in South Carolina. "Two of them I’ve been in touch with over the years several times a year, now we’re in touch every day” through a group text, Sebak said. "Early on in the pandemic I made a batch of Christmas cookies and sent them to those three people and they were surprised and delighted; and they started to send me ingredients that were beyond the normal recipe and, all of a sudden, I’m adding dried pineapple and macadamia nuts as I make cookies once a week or every other week; and I send them off to those guys. It’s renewed a friendship with old friends, and I think we all appreciate that renewed contact.” Doug Evans, Director of Collections and Exhibitions Management at The Westmoreland Museum of American Art "In 2020, I learned that, as much as we desire to be organized and feel in control of our lives, we cannot always be,” Evans said. "Unforeseen circumstances can undermine our sense of routine and normalcy. When covid-19 reared its ugly head earlier this year, we were all forced to make adjustments "As I turned the pages of my calendar, time was lost; days, weeks, months, seasons, and the year, all passed. Sadly, and more importantly, souls passed. " ’We are in this together,’ we’ve told each other many times. I believe this is true. Personally, faith proved to be the solid foundation I knew it to be. "Though physically alone, family, friends and of course my dog, Mr. Buddy Walker, were my constant companions. We grew together and we learned new ways to remain close, engaged and informed. "My father used to tell me, ‘In an emergency, you see one’s true character.’ During this time of great need, I see a sense of urgency and a renewed focus to help others in our community. I believe we don’t have to wait to make a grand gesture. Helping one person, friend or stranger, has a cumulative effect.” "I have learned to slow down and just savor a simpler life,” Evans said. Barbara Ferrier, self-described "cheerleader for Westmoreland County” and community volunteer "I made albums of all of my trips, with the intent that I would be looking at them and remembering the adventures when I was sitting in my rocking chair. Well, the time to remember came sooner, and I have been enjoying the albums. Today I am looking at the one from my Christmas Markets on the Danube trip I took five years ago. "I decided at the beginning that I was not going to complain, as there are so many who really have something to complain about. I was going to accept the situation and look forward to the light at the end of the tunnel. "My prayers go out to all who have lost loved ones and who are suffering at this time. I look forward to seeing everyone in 2021.” Phil Harrold and Kevin Carpenter, co-founders of Green Beacon Gallery in Greensburg "2020 has really shown that anything is possible,” Harrold said. "With broad expectations of what is ‘normal’ being completely shattered, we at the Beacon are learning how best to maintain artistic engagement with our community through the lens of safety. Instead of saying, ‘Man, this sucks,’ and giving up because we can’t hold in-person events, we’re pivoting into streaming online events and single-service gallery appointments. "If we can’t figure out how to roll with the punches, we’re likely to get knocked out.” Carpenter wasted no words in sharing what he learned in 2020: "We have to work harder than ever to have what we want.” Carrie Fox, president of the Tarentum Recreation Board and Tarentum Council at Large "We learned that you just have to make good out of what has been an extremely challenging year,” said Carrie Fox, president of the Tarentum Recreation Board and Tarentum Council at Large. "You have to. It’s the job of the recreation board and me as the leader to make things happen in our community.” Fox said in order to make things happen, she and the board members adapted and adjusted — sometimes within days at a time because of the ever-changing pandemic rules and regulations. "That has been very difficult, because we want people to come to our events and to be together, but that wasn’t possible and might not be possible next year as well.” Fox said. "I often lie awake in bed at night thinking of what we can do. You have to think outside the box.” One of those outside-the-box ideas was scratch-off bingo. The organization normally hosts an in-person bingo for seniors, where more than 90 people attend. They decided to deliver scratch-off cards to seniors, where they could win gifts with five Santa Claus symbols in a row. "What makes my job worthwhile is seeing all of the smiles on peoples’ faces,” Fox said. "From senior citizens to young people, it’s about making people happy. We are all smiling through these face masks to help brighten someone’s day.” Heidi Powell, owner of Next­Home Dynamic, a real estate agency, and founder of Dynamic Community Foundation Powell teamed with Feeding Freeport, a free lunch program organized by Jackie Gaughan. She partnered with her church, Christ Community Fellowship, and created a GoFundMe page called "Feeding Freeport.” The initiative has given away 25,000 meals. Powell said being involved with Feeding Freeport has been life-changing. "We plan to continue to do things to help those in need,” said Powell. "The volunteers and the community support has been wonderful. We’ve learned there are so many good people in the world during the pandemic which carried us through 2020 and will carry us into 2021.” Dynamic Community Foundation gave 100 turkey dinners at Thanksgiving to those in need, and donated $3,000 in Sprankle’s Market gift certificates and $200 in Walmart gift cards to 52 waitresses and bartenders who are going without tips because bars and restaurants aren’t open. "To see those families and the gratitude they have for these meals is very satisfying to be able to help means so much to me,” she said. Jamy Rankin, owner of River Forest Country Club in Freeport Her restaurant, Lily’s, was closed because of the pandemic so she donated inventory to Feeding Freeport. "Seeing all those people lined up for food is scary,” she said. "You definitely realize how many people are struggling. No one should go without food.” She said people in the Alle-Kiski Valley work together, especially during times like these. She teamed with other members of the organization Women of Alle Kiski Engaging to help collect items for Helping All Victims in Need, a domestic violence shelter in Kittanning and the Alle-Kiski Area HOPE Center in Tarentum. "We definitely plan to do something like this in 2021,” Rankin said. "It was a success and we want to continue to do something good. This has been a tough year. It can’t be over quick enough. But we did learn what’s important — each other — and that empathy for people is what we need to carry over into the new year.” Danielle Colecchi, owner of Minuteman Press in Leechburg with husband Tony She said she has seen an outpouring of love from businesses, school districts and parent groups to give kids a little sense of normalcy in 2020. And she said that goodwill is a promising sign for the next year. As a commercial printer, she’s created the materials to honor the young people in the area, such as signs in the front yards of high school seniors to banners. "The silver lining to a year like 2020 is you truly see the desire in people to help one another,” said Colecchi, who has owned the printing business for 14 years. "Businesses are suffering but they all want to help, and parent organizations don’t want to ask for money because they know how tough things are right now. Everyone, from businesses to parent organizations in schools, have gone to make this year as normal as possible for kids from their support of music to sports to graduation.” Lisa Hays, executive director of the Westmoreland Historical Society "I have learned that it’s OK to ask for help and to accept it as it comes, even in unexpected ways. I have been most encouraged by the amazing support from many of our members and friends who have increased their support during this difficult year,” Hays said. "People have been able to appreciate the need and respond to it. This is true for financial gifts and for volunteer time. Although many programs and some fundraising events were canceled, thanks to volunteers and donors, we were able to accomplish some good things for Historic Hanna’s Town that improve our interpretation of the site as an 18th-century village. "We were challenged to provide programs in a situation where people couldn’t participate in person. We rose to the challenge with online blogs and videos — learning as we went! All any of us can do is make the best of whatever situation we are in. The staff, board and volunteers of the Westmoreland Historical Society have done just that!”