I'm not going to sugar coat it. 2021 was a hard year. For me personally, but also I think for the world generally. Pandemic and new variants, political drama, natural disasters, travel restrictions, supply chain issues, racial tensions, employee shortages. Turning on the news can be very anxiety producing with so much anger and angst there. But my heart is determined to see the light beyond the gloom and doom. To reflect on the blessings that every painful experience gave me, and they are many.
Looking back will I choose to think of this as the year I got divorced? Or the year I reconnected with myself? Many lonely nights became nights of powerful introspection. Quiet moments giving more attention than I had in years to spiritual things, and figuring out what I thought and felt about life on my own. I started to deliberately nurture and care for my body and soul in ways I had been sorely neglecting. 35 pounds lighter, I finally walked into a dance studio and found a youthfulness and vitality I had almost forgotten. Tears turned into laughter. Salsa anyone?
Will I choose to focus on the massive financial losses I faced in 2021? Or the rebuilding that brought me strength I never knew I had? Sometimes it is only in the wreckage of a former life that we find the freedom to begin again in new ways. The process of putting the money ducks back into a row was difficult, but ultimately restored a confidence in my own ability to keep going and care for my family. We moved past survival into thriving, and now I am running a business I might never have even thought of doing before. Life is a long and winding road that often leads to unexpected places that turn out to be beautiful. Here's to the journey.
Covid. I had it, my kids had it, and we lost a beloved family member to this horrible disease. I cannot directly turn Covid into any positive spin. I despise Covid. However, it also led me back to working from home, brought my family closer and caused us, and the world at large, to hearken back to what truly matters most. To value life itself more fully and treasure the relationships and blessings we have. Will I choose to remember 2021 as a year of pandemic? Or a year that taught me more about love and brought me back to my knees to talk to God? Or maybe all of the above, and that is ok.
The message I am offering is this...
Everyone has highs and lows. Good times and bad times. Joys and sorrows. Literally everybody. No exceptions. The importance lies not so much in what experiences you have, but what you do with them. Where your focus goes, and how you choose to respond. Every single day each of us makes these choices, and the wisdom behind those decisions determines the attitude that we carry forward with us. And the spirit we bring to our interactions with others.
It is possible to choose joy even in a very hard year. 2021 was a remarkable time of recalibration, gaining strength and learning to believe in myself again. These are the gifts I get to take with me into the coming year, that would not have been received without each and every struggle. Thank you 2021. And to 2022...bring it on! I am ready for you.