It’s been exactly one year since everything in the world changed and shut down. On Friday March 13, 2020 my kids went to school for what would be the last time for the rest of the year. When I look back at this last year, there are so many lessons that I’ve learned. Here are just some of them that come to mind at the moment.
- Take nothing for granted. Absolutely nothing. Who knew this last year would bring so much change and loss on so many levels!?! We had no idea.
- Teachers really are superheroes. No one adapted faster or more effectively than our teachers. They went from managing multiple kids in front of them to managing technology and engaging kids from multiple different sites through a screen with entire new curriculums practically overnight. They deserve SO MUCH praise. Really, they are just incredible.
- Appreciate your house helpers. We had 3+ months without any help and had to do all of our own chores (I know, first world problems). Boy, did we miss our cleaning lady. It was a great lesson for our kids, though, and we definitely appreciate our helpers now more than ever.
- Home truly is your sanctuary. Our homes became our offices, our schools, our places of worship, our restaurants, our gyms and our entertainment. They became our everything.
- We are more adaptable and resilient than we think. When life threw us lemons, we really did make lemonade … and bread from scratch and cookies and cakes. We became teachers and chefs and bakers and cleaners and hair stylists. We learned how to use technology to connect with our friends and our colleagues and patients. Our kids adapted even better than we did. They shifted how they learn and how they play. They dealt with fear and isolation.
- Human connection is everything. We connected more with our neighbors and helped strangers in need. We smiled (with our eyes once masks were worn) and met new neighbors while taking walks around the block. We brought extra toilet paper for the neighbor worried about their sick dad. We bonded with strangers in line at the grocery store.
- Health care workers are appreciated. Those of us who work in medicine were particularly scared early on, but we felt more love than ever. We drove to work seeing huge signs of praise. Strangers thanked us. Media thanked us. I’ve never felt so appreciated by my patients until this past year. I was reminded how much my work matters to them.
- Technology is both our enemy and our savior. My kids have never spent so much time on their devices that I’m ready to start my own chapter of Roblox Anonymous. Yet, we would never have survived this year without Zoom and Google Classroom and FaceTime piano lessons to give us some sense of normalcy, structure, and connection.
- Simple can be better. Slowing down. Fewer activities. Less running around. Experiencing nature. Really smelling the roses. Life is so beautiful and so easy to miss when you’re running from one thing to the next.
- I miss hugs. If I had a peek into the future a year ago, I would have hugged my parents and siblings and cousins and friends for about an hour each and not let go. I can’t wait for a real hug again.
- Tell people you love them and mean it. Don’t wait. You don’t know if and when you’ll see them again.
- The mute button is priceless. It’s important on Zoom. It’s important during a GoToMeeting. It’s important when you’re going to the bathroom. And it’s important in your relationships when it can be better to keep your mouth shut.
- An emergency fund really is necessary. Watching your savings dip like a rollercoaster is a humbling and frightening experience. Losing your livelihood is a reality we saw all too often for so many this past year.
- Crises don’t change you, they amplify who you really are. If you were anxious, you became more anxious. If you were creative, your creativity blossomed. Problems in your life and relationship were magnified and the good things were magnified as well. When all the fluff is stripped away, you see the truth that lies beneath.
- Adversity forces us to re-evaluate our priorities. It’s a chance to step back and focus on our well-being and our relationships.
- Never say never. I said I would never get a trampoline or a dog. I am eating my words now as my kids jump outside on the trampoline and my pandemic puppy needs to go out for the 10th time today.
- If there is something you have been waiting to do, don’t wait. Do it now! Do you want to pursue a new passion or career? Have a baby or start a new relationship? The present truly is a gift and you must unwrap it now or it will get lost.
- Science is amazing. It is mind boggling to think about what we have learned and discovered in such a short time and how people around the globe are getting vaccinated against a virus we learned about just one year ago.
- We have less control than we think. We have no idea what tomorrow will bring. Our secure bubble could burst at any moment. But we have our minds. We have our thoughts and our feelings. We can have everything taken from us, but emerge stronger than ever full of love and faith that nothing can touch.
Here’s to a year ahead that brings much joy and prosperity, health and well-being to all!
