Brighter Days
I saw a post by Dave Hollis the other day that said “sometimes the floor wins. Not the match. But a round…”
I have read, re-read, tagged and shared that with so many people recently because it is simply the truth right now. I don’t want my super positive post record to have you fooled. Some days are harder than others and when you think about it, we are all probably going through different stages of grief. Grief in knowing life may never be the same and grief over missing what was…that’s the sadness we feel.
I would consider anxiety of the unknown something a little different than that grief. I have been very surprised how little my anxiety has flared up through all of this. That said, I’ve spoken with some who have been at battle with their anxiety since the words coronavirus plagued our nation. I could easily let fear consume me but, most days, I choose faith and find a peace knowing God is in control and that this is simply a season of life that we can all learn something through, if we take the time to look for it! It’s a moment for decluttering, reprioritizing and coming out of this with a new outlook on life. Maybe there’s joy to be found in uncovering the blessings in disguise and the things we are grateful for in the midst of the madness.
I found a journal the other day that I had started in January. Embarrassingly enough, my last post was from 1/21 and then I got “too busy” to take the time for it! Can anyone else relate? One thing I uncovered about this post was my focus on the 5 things I was most grateful for. Want to guess what they were on that day?
– My morning devotional time. The calm before my favorite storm (life, family, business)
– The connections I’ve made recently, as a friend and an entrepreneur.
– Our business – new opportunities and potential for growth.
– A new soup recipe and the warmth of our home on a cold day.
– Our family – my why, my joy.
Guess how many of those still ring true? Every.single.one.
The season we are in did not change my gratitude for these simple blessings that were my favorite before the world changed. And maybe there’s beauty in realizing that our favorite blessings are the simple ones that don’t change regardless of what happens around you. Sure, you could trade out the soup for a killer grill session on a beautiful Spring day and maybe “business as usual” doesn’t exist for anyone these days (but opportunities and potential for growth both do). I’m connecting with more friends + family + clients than ever, having more meaningful conversations, enjoying more time with my family, continuing to take the time for my devotionals every morning and still finding joy in the journey.
If there was ever a reminder that we are not in control, this is it. We were on a call the other day with our Keller Williams squad and someone compared this to the post 9/11 vibes. I had a similar conversation with my dad about this when it first happened – it is situational but sad and scary. The words depression and/or recession do not have a positive sound to them…but I find hope in the fact that RESET does. What story will we tell on the other side of this?
Here I go again focusing on the positive, but think about how many people are realizing life is too short to live life anything less than to the full? How about how many workaholics have been forced to adjust their sails (and sales) and work on their family or themselves for once? How many first responders and teachers are being treated like the super heroes they are? How about the respect we now have for our farmers and grocery store workers who are helping keep our shaken floor a little more stable and how we would be lost without them? How about all of the technology advances we have been forced to take and how far we have been pushed in so little time because we had to!
The reality of it is, regardless of what side of the political fence you sit on, any loss is heartbreaking and the fear and anger that has plagued so many is a close second.
The world will never be the same again…and maybe that’s ok.
Going back to our grief comparison – they say after you lose someone, you may never be the same again, and that’s ok. Why would you want to be? Create a new normal that helps you cope with the loss of what was and make it better than the normal you had become complacent with before the world stopped turning. If we don’t take a little something out of this for why we came out of this better than we went in, what was the point? I always like to think there is a reason for everything and if we can’t seem to find it, the least we can do is trust that the whole story is bigger than anything we can grasp and we’re just part of the puzzle that’s putting it all together.
Help where you can. Do some good. Love on a friend or family member from afar. Connect with the ones you miss most, business plan for what the future holds, read, write, dream, move your body, play a game, take a moment to bask in the sun. Find what you can do to fill your cup so it can runneth over for others, both now and on the other side of this.
I can’t wait to give hugs again. Air hugs to you all.
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