2021 has been a rollercoaster year, filled with emotions from all sides of the spectrum. Most of us have learned to navigate around the difficulties it brought: the emotional luggage after a pandemic that scared us all and made us feel the true power of nature and the real value of life, mixed with a sense of gratitude for those who remain and who we get to spend some more time with, but also the mourning of those who are no longer with us. The need to adapt to a new reality (no longer new, but normalized) while we missed our old life, the fear of exposing ourselves to new variants of this virus, and at the same time the eager need to forget about it just a little bit. Yup, 2021 has been just a teeny-tiny bit insane.
But for a moment, let's look at the sunshine. Let's choose the highlights over the shadows and let's celebrate we made it! definitely 2021 has been a transition year. A year where, if we chose to look closely at our blessings, we became a wiser version of our old selves.
We learned to adapt, practicing proper hygiene routines and respecting social distance, being mindful about our health, making choices accordingly. Adapt to new rules of living and working, with more flexibility, but also with more need for accountability. Some people lost their jobs to find new ones, changed their homes, their lifestyles, changed their perspective on life and decided to take a step back and slow down their rush to live and enjoy it just a bit more. We learned to value the neighbor, the friend we could not see for so long, the freedom, the need for connection...
Our kids also had to adapt to going back to school. That process after being away for so long, was different for everyone who experienced it, plus dealing with changes in their routines and schedules, adapting to the academic changes they each had in their corresponding grade levels. I think kids love school more now that they are back, and see the value in the direct contact with their teachers.
I hope these lessons remain after all is done. We still need to continue being mindful about our planet, about how we use our resources, about how we see the other person and actually look, valuing their existence and its impact in ours, paying attention to the visible, but also to the invisible. Caring about others just a little bit more.
Changes hurt, but in the end, life is not about avoiding the bruises. It's about collecting the scars to prove that we showed up.
2021. We will miss you, but I sure hope we can remember what we learned from you.
No comments:
Post a Comment