Living in the epicenter of a pandemic will change your perception of life and what it truly means to be alive.
The past two and a half years have been taxing and trying for almost every human being on this planet. Living in the epicenter of a pandemic will change your perception of life and what it truly means to be alive.
Covid-19 has changed the world as we know it and quite honestly, we've entered our 'new normal'. With so much sickness, restrictions, protests, wars, mass shootings, inflation and human rights issues going on around the world, it is easy to fall into a doom and gloom mode, and wanting to crawl out, can be just as difficult as getting out of bed on a cold and rainy day.
While I was in the state of feeling down, something happened; I received a notification from the photos app on my phone titled "Year In Review 2022". Usually, I am not a fan of these AI-curated albums. Mainly because of the choiced unrelated pictures and videos it often puts together. However, this was different, even the theme song was perfect. I watched it a few times and instantly my mood was boosted. Serotonin anyone?
Of course, taking it from the top, in January my oldest daughter turned 15, a few pictures taken with friends, then off to Egypt in April, a work trip (which was actually nice), next up more birthday celebrations, trips to the zoo, the aquarium, "back to school", walks with my family, and changes of the season... it went on and on...for about 2 minutes. Once it was done, I.SMILED. I then said a prayer for how thankful I was to have had the memories to look back on, thankful for the people that have I met this year, and for those that have been around for long I can hardly keep track.
While I was so set on sitting in yet another momentary funk, I was remiss about all that I've experienced. Traveling, being with friends and family, cooking, that is my happy space and I must remind myself of this.
Remind yourself of what makes you happy.
I am not diminishing how I felt at that moment. These past few weeks(holiday blues) and years have been quite rough with trying to juggle the many facets of life, to say the least, but I have to remember to embrace that it is okay to not be okay. I need to carve out time each day to meditate, reflect, and be thankful for the beautiful times I've had and make a shift to improve on that feeling. I reminded myself that I should be grateful for what I have accomplished, seen, and experienced not just this year, but throughout my life. I pray that I remember that things can and will get better.
So while I am here to share with you my experiences in this world, I hope that through my posts you are inspired to take that trip you've wanted to go on, (you know, the one you've got saved on your Pinterest board?) visit that restaurant, take a walk with your spouse, start working out, do those activities with your children...whatever supports your healthy habits (both mentally and physically), make a plan and execute. There are many different ways in which you can find happiness. It doesn't have to be extravagant or expensive. Let 2023 be the year we start anew, we might as well embrace the new normal, right? Let's choose to be happy!
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and your family!
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