Hey friends!

How are you? I’ve missed you on here.

As usual, this post is long overdue. I’ve had words, but none seemed right when strung together. The year 2020 never SEEMED to provide enough clarity to be able to publish anything worth sharing. I’m sure that was a huge mistake and certainly not the case at all. In my defense, I was confused and uncertain most of the year, but I can’t kick the craving for human connection so, I’m back.

What’s new? Just kidding, I know what’s new. Just like the rest of the world, you spent the last year in the midst of a pandemic that no one saw coming, trying to keep your jobs, home-school your kids, and survive the virus all while focusing on kindness, positivity, resilience, and keeping it as real as possible. How’d that go for you? For me, it was and is like a surreal alter-existence where my emotions run the gamut each and every day. Somehow we landed in The Great Pause that is/was the covid c**pstorm—at home with our families, heroically on the front-lines caring for the sick, or working hard to maintain the economy and supply chain. *Deep breath* We’re making it!

As an introvert, this past year was good and bad. Good because my normal routine wasn’t too disrupted at first. Bad because everyone else was also home and I somehow gave birth to two extroverts. Thankfully, the kids are figuring it out even though they miss their friends. The transition from in-person learning to remote learning was a bit difficult but I have to admit, I loved having them at home! I’ve wanted to try homeschooling for a while so I’m not complaining and my husband and I were very blessed to be able to tag-team our work schedules. All throughout each phase, we kept busy with a lot of outdoorsy events like local hiking and biking and spent all summer 2020 at my parents’ pool. But even with those activities, life felt very different last year. I missed my friends, too. All of our family time strengthened us, but I have so many friends all over the world who I’d love to visit and hug for hours. When this is over, I’m buying at least 10 plane tickets!

And, blessings do come when you least expect. Even in the year of a pandemic, I was blessed with social interaction, albeit in a different form than I was used to. My clients have become a thrilling addition to my life and career. Even when my baby business was closed down for 4 months, my clients helped it survive. It’s a true miracle that there was any growth in the year 2020, but God is so, so good. The clients who have found me are the sweetest, kindest souls and it’s been so therapeutic to connect with and grow alongside new people. Perhaps it’s the only thing that kept me sane. What’s your go-to mindset, job, or hobby that is keeping you sane? Are you able to stay busy and focused?

Without a routine, my mental state can derail pretty quickly. If you’re anything like me, just knowing there is a reason to get up and get going isn’t always enough to me on track. I have to remind myself to keep on keeping on. My family and clients need me, there is still excitement and beauty to discover, and I’m not hindered from enjoying and being involved in any of that. WHY is it so easy to fall into detrimental thinking patterns and life habits? Confusion and defeat, in particular, can lead to some pretty strong battles between motivation and helplessness. “What’s the point of making that fifty-millionth healthy meal? Who is going to care about my calorie intake?” “Ugh, how’d it get to be 2 a.m.? I guess I’ll log just one more episode of this boring show because there’s nothing on the agenda bright and early tomorrow.” Etc, etc. You get the picture. We are not built to live without daily purpose. Whether we are needed, or have needs, our routines are part of living.

In case you needed a reminder, there’s something else that’s part of living. And it’s completely unavoidable. It’s that time keeps moving on. Pressing pause on life is something that only happens in Avengers or X-Men movies. Our biological clocks continue to tick, tick, tick and it’s better not to plant our feet in the mire of self-harm. I believe in recognizing true feelings, embracing them for the humanity they prove, then looking on the bright side and moving on into the light. That positive, cheery, blessed light of the living. Peace, my friends.