A New Year, A New Beginning, A New Hope

As the days get longer and we are rounding the corner toward summer once again, we feel a shift. Our spirits begin to lift and we feel hopeful that things can return to normal, maybe not tomorrow, but soon. Through this pandemic, we have learned so much about ourselves and the world around us… here are some of our lessons learned:

We have learned that it is not about how many friends you have, but rather the quality of friendships, that truly matters. We learned that making an effort to reach out and tend to those friendships is really important, especially during this time of uncertainty, and you never know how much you can brighten someone’s day by just sending a simple “hello.”

We have learned that finding new hobbies and gaining new skills is still as exciting as when we learned how to walk, tie our shoes, and ride our bikes. It is so gratifying to discover what we are capable of when we dive into a new skill like cooking, baking, sewing or surfing!

We learned that motivation isn’t something that you wake up and feel, but rather a mindset that you create and tend to each day with every choice you make. We learned that our productivity isn’t the measure of our worth and that self-care is just as important as studying for an exam. We learned that balance in all areas of our lives is what we are striving towards.

We learned that not everything about the pandemic is negative…and that more time spent with our families is something we have been missing when our lives were so “busy.” We learned that we enjoy slowing down and getting to spend quality time having lunch as a family or going out for morning walks before our day of Zoom classes begins. We may never get to spend as much time together as we have been in the last 10 months, so we are learning to be grateful for each moment. 

But mostly we have learned that HOPE is what keeps us going and moving us toward the bright future ahead… with vaccines becoming available, a new administration and our FIRST ever woman VP, we are ready for 2021 and all the positive changes it has in store for us!

What have you learned about yourself as you reflect on the last year?