There's no debating 2020 has been a pretty rough year. However, looking back at history reminds us that things could be so much worse.

2020 will be remembered as the year of the COVID-19 pandemic that upended all of our plans for most of the year, and unfortunately has now taken nearly 190,000 American lives. With a number of vaccines on the fast track to approval, hopefully, 2021 will look very different from this standpoint.

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Then, as late summer arrived in eastern Iowa, so did a derecho packing wind gusts of up to 140 miles-per-hour. The damage to businesses, homes, and trees is widespread and has caused more damage to our psyches. As we all wait for our insurance claims to be resolved and get our homes and businesses repaired, it's easy to let things get you down. However, a little dose of reality is all you need to see to change your outlook.

There's a Facebook post circulating that reminded me how lucky I am and made my heart ache for my grandparents, who have all passed away. It reminds us of what people born in the early 1900s went through in their lifetime.

1914: World War I begins
1918: Spanish Flu outbreak
1929: The Great Depression starts
1941: The U.S. becomes involved in World War II after the bombing of Pearl Harbor
1950: Korean War begins
1961: U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War starts and lasts for 14 years

Is it any wonder the people that lived through all of that were so tough, and so admired by those that loved them? Sometimes we need to be reminded just how lucky we are. Duly noted. Thank you, Facebook. It's not every day you say that.

KEEP READING: Scroll to see what the big headlines were the year you were born

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