RESILIENCE IN 2020

As we get ready to usher in a new month, and a big holiday one to boot, it\’s almost instantaneous to feel the excitement and giddiness in the air! For many, holidays mean a time to celebrate, to be with family, to feel renewed and elated of good things to come, especially after the year so many of us have had. This year will definitely be different. It will be momentous and significant in ways we haven\’t seen before. It will be about adjusting expectations and celebrations and making more of an effort to be resilient and grateful. Because even amidst chaos and change, there is a always something to be thankful for. I recently saw a post on Instagram that said something along the lines of, \’2020 was supposed to be the year we got everything we wanted. Instead it\’s the year we were extra thankful for everything we have.\’ Have you ever thought of that? We take so much for granted at times and when life sort of blows up in your face, you are given perspective you didn\’t had before.

I really believe that 2020 is the year of resilience. If it has taught us anything, is that we have been forced to re-assess and bounce back throughout this pandemic, and not just because of lockdowns or quarantine orders, but because our lives have been uprooted and rearranged in some capacity. The way we work (or not work) has changed. The way we interact with others (kisses and hugs, whats that?). The way we shop (online, 6 ft apart, waiting in lines). The way we listen to our bodies and our mind (is it a cold, is it covid? Anxiety and depression). How we choose to live our life and react to those changes plays a big part on our mental well-being and our outlook. It is not easy and I cannot even begin to imagine the heavy pain of those directly affected by Covid-19 either by being sick or losing a loved one to the virus. It\’s unimaginable. I pray and thank God every single day that although theres a new normal amongst us and it looks different, my family and I have our health and at the end of the day, that\’s all that matters.

I also know that we humans are pretty amazing creatures and during the most daunting of times, we always seem to come together as family and as a community to persevere and overcome and that\’s something to get excited about. Resilience is work and it\’s also a beautiful thing; a badge of honor that we can proudly wear and proudly show off because we never give up and we always have a reason to fight the good fight.

As for me, I\’m going to keep focusing on the good. I\’m going to keep focusing on the lessons that this year, that this pandemic, has taught me. I\’ll keep reminding myself to shift perspective and redirect when I catch myself complaining, or getting overwhelmed or anxious and instead focus on all the reasons to smile and twirl (as I do in these photos) because in it\’s own screwed up, confused way, it\’s been a year of countless blessings. You just have to look a little closer.

In Style,

Kathy