"2020" Perfect Vision

2020 has certainly been an incredibly challenging year to say the least. Going through a global pandemic was not something any of us thought we would ever experience in our lifetime. As it was all unfolding, it felt like being forced to sit through a scary movie that you did not want to watch. Sometimes life can be that way.  We find ourselves in situations and circumstances that we did not create or choose for ourselves, but nevertheless, we must walk through them, in order to get to the other side.

It is natural that we may feel uneasy, and fearful with so much uncertainty around us. Covid-19 has impacted everyone’s family and life in some way. Since we do not have much choice but to ride this whole thing out together, maybe we can look for some positive if any, that we can take away from it. Maybe… just maybe, we can find some good during a not so good situation.

All we want is for life to go back to normal! You hear it everywhere.

Everyone, including myself have stated we cannot wait for things to “get back to normal” the way things used to be! Did you ever think, what we called normal might not be so normal after all? Maybe there were some parts of our life that were making us unhealthy physically or mentally? We may have been stressed out and unhappy, but so busy we did not have time to think about the changes we needed to make for the better.  We were all just on the hamster wheel of life, mindlessly repeating the same routine every day.

Although we would never have chosen to do it this way, 2020 has given us a rare opportunity to slow down and take a good look at our lives and see what really matters. A unique chance to eliminate some of the clutter that held us back from living our best life.

A news report on T.V. shared that since the pandemic, people are becoming more mindful of their health by eating better and exercising on a regular basis.  They are also spending more quality time with the relationships that matter most in their life. Some people have switched jobs during this time and realized it was a good decision for their family. Many have reconnected with their faith as well, finding more meaning and purpose.

Whatever it may be, I think we all have a chance to reinvent ourselves during this time and change the course of our life for the better. So, when all is back to “normal” whatever that may be, hopefully we will have learned what has been distracting our attention away from what is most important in our lives.

This year has been extremely difficult, but all our suffering does not have to go to waste.  We can come out of this stronger with a clearer sense of direction. I encourage you to take a minute and write a list of any positive changes you could make or have made so far, or any new strengths you have learned about yourself. Things you have realized are most important and what is not. We can all make some much-needed adjustments to be happier, healthier, and more aware of what direction we want our life to take. If we do this, we will all have “2020” perfect vision going forward!

by Gina Paquette, MA, LCAS-A, CPSS