2021 like its predecessor was a year that has left deep grooves in my memory. A year of hope and another year of loss, the last year is more of a blur than I like to admit. Everything has been whipped together in a blender of stress and I am over it.

Aren’t we all? The phrase that I heard over and over again at the beginning of the school year was that we are in the same situation. We were all in the same stress blender, except I have a feeling that my setting was puree and some were set much much lower. As the school year comes to it’s midpoint and the calaendar year comes to a close, reflection seem wise.

Lessons I learned in 2021.

Time is short and fast all at the same time. – Time with loved ones is never enough and perfect time will never arrive if you don’t work towards it. The pandemic travel restrictions meant that I didn’t get to see Ed or Stef before they died. The only thing we have in life is change and sometimes we do need to take that leap and not be sensible.

I am not always right. – Not that I think I am always right but the last year has shown me how many times my thoughts have existed in a vacuum and when exposed to more information needed to be altered or changed completely.

A good therapist makes a difference. – As I work on finding a therapist that is a good fit for me, I am reminded that it is important to find someone that you feel comfortable working with for the long term.

Goals and plans are great but what’s your back up plan. Huh? What I mean by the jumble of words that begins this paragraph is that you need to have a plan for your plan and if your plan doesn’t work what are you going to do about it. How are you going to accomplish your goal when the first plan fails? Cause it might and many of my plans this year fail in flames.

Things I am changing as I go forward.

Off time is off time. Breaks from my day job don’t mean that I need to catch up on everything including writing. Writing will happen but if I work myself into a hospital This means not talking about work or checking email. Also not buying things for the students’ treasure box no matter how good of a deal.

Exercise is not if I have time thing but a daily activity. I’m not getting any younger and exercise is something that honestly makes me feel better. I am not talking about a work out every day but stretching or going for a walk. Instead of putting it off, I am going to attempt to go for that walk, swim or hike when there is time.

Plans need more than a concept. I make plans but they aren’t really detailed and don’t have back ups. I plan on writing daily mostly after dinner. The issue with this while it is somewhat specific often I am too tired after dinner. Fatigue has been a growing issue and has resulted in no writing happening.

Last Thoughts…

All that you touch, You change.

All that you change, Changes you.

The only lasting truth is change.

God is Change.

Octavia E. Butler

This quote by great author, Octavia E. Butler, has really shaped my outlook these last weeks of 2021. So much has happened in the last year that there is no way I could recap it. Hell, I can’t even remember all of it. It seems like Ed’s passing was years ago and yesterday. I feel like my new co-workers/friends have been with me forever and yet, they haven’t.

Changes rocks and transforms us. Here is hoping that we all can learn to manage the storm better.