WHAT I KNOW NOW FOR SURE!

 WHAT I KNOW NOW FOR SURE!

The other day while flipping through a magazine, I noticed people sharing what they know for sure. There is actually a book with this title by Oprah. Just about little life lessons that we as humans need to pay attention to as we experience them. Then I saw this article about living through the global pandemic and what have I learned, along with others about what I now know for sure. Being in a lock down, not seeing friends and family in person tends to put a whole new spin on our world.

For example, I know that I deserve unconditional love from myself. It is a form of self-care. I learned that if I don't take care of myself then I can't help others.

We all need to learn to live with a little more grace and empathy. No one knows what others have been going through, just as they don't know about your circumstances. 

We as human beings are more resilient than we give ourselves credit for. If I truly look deep inside of my soul, I know that I can problem solve most of my own issues. With that in mind, I then can and should reach out to others who may be experiencing the same things. We are adaptable if we allow ourselves to learn from our circumstances. This in turn helps us to move forward. It has taught me that I know better who I am and what I want in my life. There is a Maya Angelou quote that I am reminded of:

"When you learn, teach. When you get, give."

Love is the only way through this crisis that we are all experiencing. Sometimes this means that solitude for a moment each day helps me to understand that I must let go of what I expect and just embrace what is there. What is there? There are friends, family, books, flowers, sunrises, sunsets, my furbabies, laughter, cooking together, candles, wine, Netflix, deliveries, walks, and how grateful I am to have the love of my life and best friend in the world with me. We support each other. 

All of these plus a kajillion more fill up what we all hopefully have learned by going through COVID. 

One of the biggest thing is that I will never take traveling to other places for granted. And although we now can travel somewhat, it just is not quite the same as it once was.

Quite frankly, there really is not a place at this time that I would feel comfortable going to visit. I have learned that nothing is permanent. Just as that is a little unsettling, it also is reassuring that everything comes and goes and it can be exciting to embrace the new. I know that I will be okay, just in a new way in my own time. 

It is very important to me to have family and friends that take me at face value. I know that I am so grateful to have everyone in my life. Taking the time to journal through the ups and downs of this pandemic most definitely helps guide me. Find those new lessons to learn and new skills to try out. One thing for sure is that my excuses for not exercising have absolutely nothing to do with my busy schedule. Nada!

I will end this blog with a simple gratitude. 

My gratitude is that I see people viewing themselves and others with more patience and empathy. There is something to be said for acknowledging what we have gone through and wondering how we will eventually come out of it together.