Lessons learned in 2020:
- Never wish the days away. No matter how isolating stay at home orders are, they are still days. Cancer might have taught me this lesson too, but certainly 2020 was a reminder. The days may have melted one to the next, but I was home with my little family: Bruce, Scarlet, and Squiggy, which really isn’t much different than how I live when there are no stay at home orders.
We have each other and our pups, and despite postponing our wedding (not once, but twice) I am so lucky to be quarantining with my best friend.
- Never take for granted the ones you love and tell them often how much you love and appreciate them because we don’t know how long we have to wait for that next hug.
Mama B and Bill came down to simply deliver pizza from our favorite place in North Jersey. This was as close as they came, as this was before we expanded our bubble to include them, but not without quarantining before each visit even now.
- Gratitude is endless and multiplies exponentially when times are tough. You just might have to search a little deeper to find it, and the things for which you are grateful might seem a bit more mundane.
Moments of joy may have looked slightly different this year, but they happened!
- We can survive on much less than we think. When Bruce was laid off (and as you know I’m on long term disability), we still had a roof over our heads, food in the fridge, and love in our hearts.
- We can all be kinder and more compassionate to others, especially those who have been working to meet our needs during these unprecedented times.
Im so grateful to my entire medical team, delivery people, retail workers, and everyone else who has risked infection so that we can have the things we need.
- It’s always important to think beyond yourself at what serves the greater good.
Marty”s Place has downscaled volunteer shifts yet somehow they have managed to keep all the residents well-cared for and happy.
- Technology is a godsend, keeping us connected in a way that was not possible 100 years ago during the last pandemic.
I am so grateful for video calls with my squad….
- What others see as “endurance” in me is really just my will to keep moving. Although it applies to everyone, for the MS patient, it is essential to keep moving or else you won’t be able to move at all.
- Do whatever you need to in order to keep anxiety at bay. 2020 was full of challenges, and if you felt anxiety, you certainly were not alone. There is no weakness in admitting it. I stayed in a bubble, stopped watching the news, and immersed myself in yoga and meditation.
My savior… yoga and meditation.
- Never say things like “2021 can’t be worse” (because it could be)! And never lose hope for a brighter tomorrow. As I went through the multitude of doctor appointments (the only reason I left my house) I asked each one their much more informed opinions on 2021. As one doctor so eloquently put it, the tunnel is long but there IS a light at the end.
I see the light!
