 |
| Photo Taken 03.16.20 |
On March 16, 2020, we went into lockdown as a family. So much was uncertain at that time, but one thing is for sure... a year later a lot has changed for us personally. Our world looks different.
Being inside and to ourselves we have definitely taken this time to really slowdown, refocus, and reflect. We tried our best to make the best use of the time as we could.
The Good
We had the opportunity to refocus on what was really important to us and get back to basics. We started focusing on our health again, working out everyday, eating healthy, and getting outdoors for exercise. We started eating meals together at the table consistently, saying grace, and using that time to connect without electronics. I have been doing my part to try and help with the household responsibilities... dishes, general cleaning, and purging. The house actually looks so much cleaner vs. the cluttered 'I'm too busy' to deal with that mindset I used to have. The weekends have been reserved for family movie nights and occasionally having a sleepover as family on our couch. We are limiting our screen time and replacing that with getting on the floor, playing, and doing art projects. All where I know I was lacking when I commuted to work. We figured out a routine for our new work from home and remote learning life making our bedroom into an office/classroom. Being put into virtual learning gave us an opportunity to really see how our son interacts in class and to be a greater support system for him to build his confidence. We began to read the bible as a family, I made morning meditation a daily thing, and started attending church virtually (which my husband eventually join as well). We made it routine to virtually call family members daily. Basically, we focused on spending time together in any capacity we could.The Bad
Physically and emotionally, I'll be honest 2020 was hard. Mentally all the unknowns have caused us all worry and stress not only for ourselves, but for our loved ones too. Everyone on some level or another has anxiety and PTSD. Some of the news stations and Facebook got ugly too. Personally, the stress began to manifest itself physically in my body causing me to have the worst episode of acid reflux I have ever had which thankfully is getting better. I had to recognize my stressors and be more mindful of the types of things I was ingesting on TV, social media, etc.The Ugly
We lost 2 Aunts and 4 Uncles within the last 4 months; 2 of our Uncle's passed from COVID within 2 weeks of each other. In normal times when someone in our family is sick or dying, the 1st thing we do is gather. We spend our time supporting and comforting one another and we never let those we are going to lose be alone. Unfortunately, the pandemic took that part from us and we tried our best do what we could. I know so many of you can relate. Not being able to physically comfort the many we lost was heartbreaking. I know I will always grieve that, but my faith tells me those we loved and lost were not actually alone.2020 was missing get-togethers, holiday celebrations, birthdays, and more. Not being able to see our loved ones, hug them, kiss them, spend time with them has been so difficult.
The Future
Thankfully, we were able to find some good that sparked personal change for our family amidst all the craziness. There was a time I really didn't think anything good could come out of this situation. But I should have know God always has a way. Today we are beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel with vaccine efforts ramping up. We are excited that as our family begins to be fully vaccinated that we will finally be able to be together once again.The world still has a long way to go, but there is an opportunity for us all to continue to learn, grow, to protect ourselves, and others in this unprecedented time.
There is hope.
