Hindsight was 2020

 This past year was unprecedented to say the least. However, when I look back there were many lessons that stick out. For the sake of time, I will be sharing my top three takeaways from 2020.

One of the first lessons that I learned, was that self care comes in many forms. Most people think of a spa day when you mention the concept of self care. In my experience, it is  mostly saying no to stressful situations or to things that don't serve you. Making sense of the "new normal" caused me to focus on my mental health more than I had been before. I wanted to feel good emotionally. I became careful of what I watched and who I spoke to. If it pulled me down, I avoided it. I valued myself enough to do what was best for me. There were some people I didn't speak to as regularly as I previously had. I wanted to spend time with myself in a good feeling place. 

The next lesson that I learned, was that as you evolve and grow as a person, it will cause you to shed people from your life. This isn't a bad thing. As you reach new plateaus, you can't take everyone with you and you shouldn't try. We are conditioned to think that every friend we have will be with us until our last breath. Not so much. Release these people in love and keep it pushing. In 2020, people showed you who they were. They took their masks off and showed themselves to be the monsters that they had been all along. They felt no need to pretend to be human anymore. A general lack of empathy and compassion was at an all time high. Consider yourself lucky to now know the real them. Better late than never.

The third and final lesson that I took from 2020 was to take nothing for granted. When I think of all the trips I could've taken or the things I could've experienced, I get upset with myself. I figured I had 2020 to travel and spend time with friends. As we know, this didn't happen. This has made me even more determined to take trips once travelling abroad is possible. I have my sights set on Monte Carlo and the UK. I confess, I have been keeping a watchful eye on airline tickets. I even have alerts set. I am shameless. I love my apartment, but I need to see something else for a change.

 It's been said that a lesson is only useful if you learn from it. As 2021 gets started, I fully intend to apply what I have learned from the previous year. I'm curious to hear, what lessons have you learned?

Don't Call It a Comeback

Every writer knows there comes a time when you feel cut off from your own ideas and you need a reset. For me, connecting with myself was just the thing I needed.

When I started this blog  in 2013, I would never have imagined that I would get writers block. My ideas seemed to to come from everywhere. As time went on my creative impulses continued, but the death of my grandmother in 2016 brought me to a screeching halt creatively and emotionally. I carried on with my job and professional pursuits, but writing the blog became difficult. This was partly because my grandmother was the inspiration behind it. It was here emphasis on social graces and etiquette that made me want to add a modern spin to the lessons that she'd taught me.

As tumultuous  and unpredictable as 2020 was, I am grateful for the pause that it forced me to take. I was forced to take inventory of my life and relationships. Little by little, I felt flickers of ideas develop into a full blown yearning to write again.

Why write all of this? Simple. I am writing to say, sometimes you need a break from things that you care about before you burn out and  resent them. That being said I will be posting much more frequently. I missed writing this blog and I especially missed those who took the time to  read and comment.

It's a new year and I have quite a bit to say. I'm excited for you to read it, but most importantly, I'm excited to write it.