What If…the New Year Brings Promise

2020 has been a lot. 😵The crazy thing about 2020 is that it started off like any other year. Full of anticipation- complete with 🌟hopes and 🌟dreams. We had plans. Yeah, remember when you could make plans? When I first heard about a virus in China and how a city the size of Chicago had to 🔒lockdown to slow the spread, it seemed inconceivable. A city the size of Chicago completely shuttered? ❌No way! Fast forward a few months- and YES way!✔

I’m not even going to try to gloss it all over. 😢The losses have been tremendous. 😢The frustrations piled up, one after another after another. 😢Disappointments? Yep- all kinds of those. 😢Fears? Plenty!

You want to know what else has been here throughout 2020? A whole lot of 💝promise. It’s hard to find the promise when 🌀chaos is everywhere, yet it’s there. Push and pull, working together to deliver direction. The yin and yang to bring balance. The little rays of ⛅sunshine peeking out of the clouds to provide hope. What I’m trying to say is this: while a whole lot of 2020 was just plain stinky, there was 💝promise hidden in all of those rotten parts.

Want to see what I mean?

• My husband was laid off from work for eight weeks.⏩ We had eight weeks together that we wouldn’t have had otherwise.
• The lockdown forced us to stay home. ⏩We had time to do all of those household chores and bake and do puzzles and binge-watch shows without the bustle of our normal busy schedules.
• High school track season was canceled. ⏩My daughter and I ran or rode bikes together every day of that non-season.
• My mother’s senior living community has been locked down and following strict protocols since March. ⏩The staff has managed to keep COVID out so far!
• My hands are dry and cracked from cleaning and sanitizing desks at the end of every class period. ⏩I get to see my students in person.
• My students must wear masks and social distance at school. ⏩Kids learned to follow COVID protocols better than some adults.
• It’s difficult to hear clearly through masks. ⏩We are communicating more effectively- enunciating our words and smiling with our eyes.
• Procrastination was not the game to play. Quarantines could strike at any time to any of us. ⏩No more hesitations. We’re doing things when they need to be done!
• The temptation to be a hoarder was real. ⏩We learned to be prepared without hoarding- to give someone else a chance. We understand that not everyone has the ability to purchase ahead.
• The line in Hamilton was right: “Death doesn’t discriminate between the sinners and the saints.” ⏩We learned ways to keep ourselves and others safe. We also realized that it was pretty easy to do the right thing.
• Boredom was a real possibility. ⏩We found ways to be creative. My son and I even wrote a kids’ book about it- check out THE BORED BOOK available on Amazon. Click here: https://bit.ly/BOREDBOOK
• Happiness doesn’t come from busyness. ⏩Happiness lies within each of us. Haven’t found it yet? Keep looking- it’s there for you!
• Spending time alone doesn’t have to equal loneliness. ⏩Growth happens in those quiet moments.
• We’re standing on designated spots when we wait in line. ⏩Truth- I actually like having personal space while waiting.
• There are a lot of conflicting and confusing emotions wrapped up in a pandemic. ⏩We learned that it’s important to honor each and every one of them. Share. Ask questions. Talk.
• My glasses and sunglasses fog up when wearing a mask. ⏩Simple fixes- prop the top of the mask right under the glasses or a tiny piece of tape. The masks with nose wires are awesome, too.
• People posted and talked about all kinds of things that I didn’t agree with or even understand. ⏩I stayed out of hot topics. There are plenty of other subjects to discuss and still keep my friends.
• Every simple ailment causes concern. Coughs and sneezes cause everyone to move and stare. ⏩Walk away before hacking! And- don’t mention any symptoms of any kind ever. We’re fine, all the time- right?😜
• People have to do a lot of weird, uncomfortable things. Teachers like me take temperatures of our students each morning. Store clerks squirt sanitizer on the hands of customers. ⏩We’re going with the flow. We’re trying to be nice. We’re making it fun! My students like to play Guess the Temperature every morning.

What if…the new year brings 💝promise? While life won’t get back to normal for a while, I do know that 2021 is going to start off like any other year. Full of anticipation- complete with 🌟hopes and 🌟dreams. It’s up to us to find the promise. Maybe we’ll need to 🔍search harder than expected. Maybe it won’t be in the places we thought it would be. It’s still there. Go find it!💖