GRACE'S MUSINGS: 2021 - THE YEAR OF OPTIMISM
Never before have I been so ready to say goodbye to a year, and I know for sure that I won’t be the only one feeling this way. No one could have predicted just how devastating 2020 would be for everyone worldwide – for families, businesses and communities who have fought tirelessly to keep each other safe from harm.
New Year is usually a natural time for reflection, but with everything that has happened it may be hard to look back and find any light in the dark. Those good intentions, ambitions and goals that we set at the beginning of 2020 have, understandably, mostly fallen by the wayside as together we made an awkward transition towards a ‘new normal’. I know that my goals shifted dramatically at the beginning of lockdown to simply surviving this year with my family and my sanity in tact.
Still, when I look back over this unprecedented year, I’m surprised by how much good I can find. There is no denying that the lockdowns were difficult and have caused catastrophic circumstances for so many. As a result I have never been more grateful for my family, my home and my lifestyle. For me, lockdown also brought with it an opportunity to spend more quality time with my three girls, which I have loved – despite the endless rows! The sense of community and togetherness we felt as a nation warmed my heart every week. Plus 2020 has given me the shock I needed to truly evaluate what is important in my life and to let go of the things that no longer serve me well. Let’s just say I’m not sweating the small stuff anymore!
We are, understandably, going into 2021 with a sense of nervous trepidation, but I still want to look forward to the new year with optimism and gratitude for the little things that we might not have given quite so much thought to this time last year. A warm hug with friends or family outside our bubble. Dinner and drinks that extend past a 10pm curfew! Casual days out, a trip to the cinema or a holiday abroad will now all hold a new kind of magic never experienced prior to 2020.
I will still make resolutions for 2021, but as we go into this new year I will be making them with a fresh perspective that the experiences of 2020 have given me. My resolution for good health will be less about my jean size and more about how I feel both physically and mentally. Exercise will be something I enjoy and look forward to, rather than another task on my to-do list. I will continue to set goals to build my business, and I will do so knowing that these must be balanced alongside my own personal growth and wellbeing. If any of these resolutions fall by the wayside, as potentially they may well do, I will know that they can be restarted on any day of the year – and rather than berate myself when this does happen, I will treat myself with compassion and kindness.
Most importantly I will remember that ageing is a privilege. I will continue to love my age, to embrace who I am and to live each day as if it’s my last.
