A new year brings anticipation for great things. This year feels like a warmth of sunshine after cloudy days. 2020 brought many challenges without the “perfect vision” the year number indicated. Learning from our experience gives us energy for improvement as we move forward.
My list of twenty-one take-aways from 2020 with optimism that 2021 will be a better year if we remember:
- We are resilient and can recover from stressful conditions.
- We care about others more than our own comfort. Wearing a mask is proof.
- We are creative with ways to connect, celebrate, worship, and teach while social distancing.
- We are resourceful and can adapt to difficult circumstances.
- We are all passionate about our beliefs, therefore it’s important to respect individual beliefs especially when they differ from our own.
- We are patient, notably when it’s necessary.
- We persevere in hard situations as we work for improvement.
- We are courageous as we learn to do things we’ve never done before.
- We are fashionable. Masks often match what we are wearing or make a statement about our personality. Colorful, fun masks are amusing.
- We need each other. Isolating negatively affects our mental health.
- We realize hugs are not to be taken for granted.
- We are more aware of what our teachers and healthcare providers do. We are so thankful for their dedication.
- We gained gratitude for sanitary stations by most building entrances.
- We have appreciation for disinfectant wipes to sanitize grocery carts.
- We learned zoom meetings are an effective way to take care of business.
- We learned routine doctor visits can be done efficiently and are convenient by facetime or duo phone calls.
- When an in-person doctors visit is necessary, the sticker on your shirt with the written temperature reading puts other at ease or encourages them to keep their distance if you have a fever.
- We appreciated less people in the doctor’s office making the wait time to get into the exam room significantly shorter.
- More people working from home improves the air quality and drives gasoline prices down. It’s grand that city streets no longer filled with vehicles were roped off for recreational bike riding and walking.
- Social distancing at home allowed more time to get projects done.
- Each person is important. We make a difference in the lives around us.
This year has been an experience we’ll all remember. 2020 not only strengthened our character, but it helped us realize what is most important. I hope to remember the positive lessons learned from the past as we move forward.
What can you add to the list?
Dr. Kimberly Sieber is a Clinical Psychologist Specialist in Salt Lake City, Utah and we were honored to have her speak to our caregivers group on August 17, 2017. Having more than twenty years of experience in clinical psychology, she is an expert in helping people gain a better understanding of their own minds and well-being.
A good friend, Lauri Schoenfeld, spoke at our caregivers group on April 20, 2017 at the Intermountain Medical Center (IMC) in Murray. She gave an excellent presentation on embracing fear to move forward. She addressed what holds us back and how to overcome it so we can be our best selves. She is positive, fun and energetic.
2. Face your fears. You have to surrender to them and become willing to create a different reality. Your life will not turn out differently unless you do something different.
Ideas that work for me:
4. Be present and realize that this is your life.
Thanksgiving is more than the annual national holiday which celebrates a harvest festival. It is family time with an expression of gratitude. I love this holiday because it reminds me of the importance of giving thanks. It renews my goal to make every day a day of thanksgiving. Some days that’s harder than others, but even in the face of life’s challenges there is something to be thankful for.
I’m grateful for our comfortable, wheelchair accessible home, which always gives me something to fix up or improve and the space I need to be able to work at home. I appreciate my employment in property management which enables me to pay for all the necessary things in life. I am fortunate to have wonderful bosses and friends in Steve and Rick. I appreciate all they do for me in our business as well as the support in my personal life. They were patient and caring as my shoulder healed and took on some of my responsibilities.
Last Thursday I had the opportunity to speak to the caregivers of the Brain Injury Alliance of Utah support group. The title—Gratitude When You Don’t Feel Grateful.
One of my first thoughts after I realized we had been hit and were pinned inside the wreckage of our car was, I’m grateful the kids aren’t with us. It was on a Saturday afternoon and we needed to make a final decision on which home to purchase. Fortunately, we left our two young children with my parents while we traveled to our three favorite homes one last time before making an offer. Looking at the back seat of the car makes it evident their chance of survival would have been near impossible. During the three months Mark was in a coma, I realized it could’ve been worse had our kids been with us.
When my kids were teenager’s I started a gratitude journal. It helped me get through a rough time. Every night I wrote down five things I was grateful for. Some nights it took a while to think of five things I appreciated. Knowing I needed five things to write each night encouraged me during the day to notice the positive in simple things and take mental note. This practice turned my discouragement into encouragement. It brought inner peace because I was focusing on the good instead of dwelling on the bad.
One evening a few years ago, we were having a birthday celebration with my parents and siblings. The conversation centered on their travel destinations and the wonderful things their grandchildren were accomplishing—two things which are lacking from my life.
I appreciate Christine Scott sharing her story over the past five weeks of growing up with her mentally disabled sister and the challenges they faced as a family. It’s been insightful and very helpful for me while Mark has been recovering from his second total hip replacement.
The gang unwilling to surrender to this one-eyed, pot-bellied marshal moves forward on horseback.
In 
I can relate to Christine Scott’s feelings and well written words in 
Uniting Caregivers 