Hello 2021!

Happy New Year dear friends! I don’t know about you but I am hopeful for some positive changes in 2021. I think we all are. I’ve been on a rollercoaster of emotions about 2020 but I have to extend gratitude for a few positive things that did come out of an otherwise dumpster fire of a year.

Not only did we start the new year off as a family of 4, we saw a tremendous amount of growth from what had unraveled in our family over the prior year. As I continue to watch my oldest son grow and thrive, I’m breathing again. I actually felt like I was holding my breath for almost 2 years. As a mom of teen boys, watching them grow and mature is really something pretty damn special.

I also was able to make a trip to Portland in February, before everything shut down, to visit my mom. One of my sisters met me there as she lives in Southern California. This trip was special for a couple of reasons. We don’t see our mom much and we were able to assist her in unpacking and getting settled into her new apartment. It was also really nice to have this one on one time with my sister as we both have so many things going on and being able to have that time together was fun. We walked all over downtown Portland and just enjoyed the casualness of not having an agenda.

I also became employed in 2020. I didn’t land just one job but two. Wow. I can’t even believe that happened and I feel so lucky. One is an at-home job that I landed back in April and the second job is at a retail store in a nearby town. I feel so grateful for these opportunities that have allowed me to financially contribute to our family.

The biggest thing that happened in 2020 is that we sold our home and moved to a new town. The timing of this was so unexpected yet the move has felt like the best thing ever. We knew a move was in our future but we assumed it wouldn’t happen for a few more years and we definitely didn’t plan to move to the town we landed on but it really feels so perfect. It’s a charming area with a downtown that is within walking distance. Once upon a time, I had hoped to live someplace where I could walk to grab a coffee or beer, well my friends, we have arrived. We sold our house really fast and fell in love with our new home the minute we walked inside.

I also accomplished two goals in 2020 – I decided that I’d read 20 books in 2020 and that did happen. I also decided to walk every.single.day in 2020 and I also accomplished that. These were both fun goals for me. I love reading so this was easy and I am also a big fan of being outside so the walking challenge was also an easy one.

Now, that being said – the thing that I grieved the most was time. You can’t get it back. There were things I wanted to enjoy in 2020. Time really does go by so fast and enjoying all of the moments is a pretty big deal. Feeling like you miss out – especially when it comes to being with friends and family is emotionally hard. Trying to keep everyone safe physically hasn’t come without a negative emotional impact.

2020 is now behind us and I’m hopeful for fresh starts in 2021. Yes, Covid is rampant in California and many are opposed to the vaccine but many will opt-in and I am hopeful for herd immunity. It’s time to say goodbye to this awful illness that has haunted us for almost a year now.

What do I see happening in the new year? Growth. I don’t want to set a bunch of weird goals. I just want to be more intentional in what I’m doing. One of the things that is important to me is practicing the art of doing nothing. To be specific, I want to practice being idle. This might sound so silly but for this busy body, type A girl – the art of being still is really important. I’m working on putting down my phone more. Less social media. More deep breathing. Less reacting.

What does your new year look like? Are you a resolution type of person? Do you like to set goals and intentions? Tell me one thing that you are looking forward to in 2021.

I wish you all peace and the promise of fresh starts as we embark on this new year.