Reflections on 2020

 My One Word for 2020 was "Intentional'.  When life as we know it suddenly came to a screeching halt a few months into the year, I felt that trying to be intentional in the midst of a global pandemic was impossible. How was I supposed to be intentional about things when life was so uncertain and topsy-turvy?

I was wrong. 2020 taught me more about being intentional than I could have imagined when the year began.

It taught me what's really important by making me take a look at what I was able to easily let go of and what was really important to me.  Health.  Family.  Home.  Those are things that this past year taught me to cherish. 

I became intentional about memorizing Bible verses. Somedays those were the words holding me together when I felt the worry, the anxiety, and the panic start to rise.  Days when thinking about all that I was missing out on had me sad and miserable - the Word of God helped me to refocus and think about what is true, lovely, and praise-worthy.

It taught me to be intentional about what I want to read since books had to be placed on hold and picked up curbside at the library.  No longer could I just wander the stacks pulling out whatever caught my eye. 

I learned to embrace delivery services and curbside pickup.  This meant that I had to be intentional as I planned for meals and shopping.  Running down to the local grocery store to grab a few items I wanted or needed was no longer an option.  I had to think about what I wanted to prepare in the days to come.  Plan a complete grocery list and be sure I scheduled a delivery ahead of time so that I would have what I needed when I needed it. 

I had to be intentional with my business as I learned to take supply chain disruptions and shipping delays into consideration.  Especially as the busy Christmas season began, virus cases increased and the postal system became bogged down with shipments.

And toilet paper.  Surely we all learned to be intentional about our TP usage.  Right?

I think we can agree that 2020 was not fun, predictable, or easy.  It was an anxious year.  The Covid-19 pandemic, lockdowns, remote learning, unemployment, the elections, and social unrest had many of us feeling stressed to our absolute limits. 

It was a year to let go of expectations, plans, and control to some degree. It was a year when graduations, weddings, and other celebrations were canceled.  Sports seasons were delayed and games canceled.  It was a year of loss.  Hundreds of thousands lost their lives to the pandemic.  We said goodbye to beloved and well-known names. RBG, John Lewis, Chadwick Boseman, Sean Connery, Alex Trebeck, Regis Philbin, and Eddie Van Halen - to name just a few. 

But we also learned how creative we could be as we learned to celebrate in our own ways and make our own fun. We learned to embrace disruptions to our daily schedules and lives and go with the flow.  

We figured out how to work or learn from home.  In the comfort of our pajamas and lounge-wear. 

Some of us learned to bake. Not me - but based on all the sourdough bread I saw showing up on Instagram,  many of you did.

We cheered on our essential workers as they worked long hours to save lives, often without the proper equipment to protect themselves.  We developed a newfound respect for healthcare workers and teachers.

We learned how to use Zoom and Skype.  Not just for work and school - but to stay in touch with friends and family.  

We made ourselves feel as if our lives were a little less crazy by comparing them to the drama lived out by a bunch of tiger owners.  We finally caught up on all those tv shows and movies we've been meaning to watch. We fell even deeper into our infatuation with Baby Yoda.  

It was a tough year.  One we probably wouldn't choose to live through again.  But it also taught us valuable lessons about ourselves.  Our strength.  Our resourcefulness.  Our capacity for kindness.  

Here's hoping for a happy, healthy, peaceful 2021. 

Five Lessons I've Learned During The Pandemic

This year has been one heck of a wild ride, hasn't it?  And it's not even over yet!  Who knows what the next three months may bring our way.  

It would be quite a shame to have gone through everything that 2020 has piled on our plates without learning a few lessons along the way.  I've learned some things about things about myself, about others, about life, and about the world at large.  Here are just a few:

1)  Plans are ALWAYS tentative

Maybe you're familiar with the Yiddish Proverb "We plan, God laughs".  In my opinion, that may be the Number One lesson we should take away from this year.  It certainly is for me.  

I recall sitting in a restaurant in Memphis,  Tennessee eating brunch with the Man of the House.  We were making plans to start taking more road trips.  Nothing too far away.  Destinations a few hours drive from our home where we could take a long weekend away once a month or at least every other month. 

This was in late February.  Just as Covid was about to really take things up a notch here in the United States.  Needless to say - those plans didn't last very long since shortly after that trip to Memphis,  the whole quarantine/self isolation portion of our year began. 

Last year, we had also decided that we were going to set a goal to attend a football game at quieteevery NFL stadium over the next several years.  This year we intended to visit the stadiums in New Orleans and either Atlanta or Nashville.   Nope.

2020 keeps reminding me of Proverbs 19:21.

Picture Credit:  YouVersion Bible App

2)  I am much more of a stress eater than I would have thought.

It's true.  I pretty much covered all my stress and anxiety about coronavirus under a thick layer of junk food for much of the Spring and Summer.  Because... comfort food.  Am I right?  I'm sorry to say that this has resulted in regaining much of the weight that I took off last year.  BOO!

3)  I am more of a home-body than I realized.  

I knew I didn't mind being at home for days on end.  But the more comfortable I have become with delivery services and curbside pick-up, the less I feel like I need to go into an actual store to interact with actual people.  

I'm not saying that's a good thing.  It just is what it is.  

I'm not totally a hermit yet.  About once a month I do get anxious to get out.  That's when I mask up and head to Home Depot or something with the Man of the House.  

4) I'm not great about the whole "self-care" thing when I know I'm not going to be around people.

I probably shouldn't mention how infrequently I have showered on more weeks than I care to admit.  The good news is that unless I have been working outside in the heat or something else sweat producing - I've learned that I can actually go a few days without bathing before I start to stink.  But when the odor starts, it hits fast and hard. Sorry, that might have been TMI.

 I haven't been deep conditioning my hair weekly as I did pre-pandemic.  Or doing regular exfoliating and face masks.  And even though I give myself pedicures even when salons are open, I let that go for far, FAR too long over the summer.  It's not like I was going to be out showing off my toes in some cute sandals or anything  

I'm trying to get myself back in the habit of having one self-care day a week.

5) Many more people are willing to take a risk with their health, and/or don't care about the well-being of others than I would have hoped was true.

Honestly, I could go on for a good long time about this.  But for the sake of not opening a big ol' can of worms - I'll just leave it there.  You know what I'm talking about.  'Nuf said.  

What are the lessons that 2020 has been teaching you?

Allergies? Or Coronavirus??

This post is in no way intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment and before undertaking a new healthcare regimen, and never disregard medical advice or delay seeing help because of something you read on this website

Let me tell you about last weekend.  The skies were sunny.  The temperatures were summer-like. The Man of the House cut the grass for the first time this year.  The breezes were blowing.  The pollen was flying.  And me... I somehow managed to not take my allergy medication or use my daily asthma-control medicine on Friday night.  Which meant that I was sniffling, had a scratchy throat and was feeling a little tight chested

I'm not going to lie.  I. Was. Freaking. Out.  Even though every logical part of me knew it was allergies, that didn't stop the Coronavirus panicked portion of my brain from going on marathon trips to "what if" town.

No one wants to needlessly worry they may have Covid-19 if it's nothing more serious than spring allergies.  On the other hand, no one wants to brush off early symptoms of the virus as being "just allergies", potentially putting others at risk.

First of all, whether you think it's coronavirus, a cold, or allergies - you should already be following CDC guidelines to help reduce the spread of the illness - including social distancing, hand washing, and disinfecting commonly touched surfaces. Having said that...

How do we know whether our symptoms are allergies or Covid-19?

The biggest clue seems to be the presence of a fever (or lack thereof).  In most cases of the novel Coronavirus, there is a fever of 100 degrees Fahrenheit or more.  Seasonal allergies typically don't cause a fever.

I found the following chart very helpful in easing my concerns about what I was experiencing.

 For example, along with some mild asthma symptoms, I had sneezing, sinus congestion, but no fever.  Clearly allergies!

A little Zyrtec, regularly using my asthma medication, and a day of rain to wash away some of the pollen had me feeling good as new.

If you are a allergy sufferer, take your allergy meds.  Make sureyour asthma is well controlled.  If you have symptoms that may be related to Covid-19, or if you have any doubts, talk with your health care provider or local department of health.

Stay home.  Stay safe.  Better days are coming.

Bad Timing

I realized the other day that this whole Covid-19 pandemic couldm't have hit the United States at a worst time of year.

Spring equals pollen season.  This means that many of us will very soon be sneezing, sniffling and coughing non stop.  If we're not already.

Allergy season can be miserable enough under the best of circumstances. Now, we'll have the added stress of wondering if it's really our seasonal allergies or if we should be more concerned.

We'll probably be getting more than a few side eyes and dirty looks as we sneeze if we have to leave the house for groceries, medications, etc.  Thank goodness for delivery and curbside pickup services!

Bad timing, indeed.

How Are You Doing ?

How are you doin? It's a mad, mad world we're living in right now.  Things are changing everyday thanks to the coronavirus pandemic.

Many of us are living a life we couldn't have imagined a month ago. Businesses closing.  Grocery store shelves are emptying as fast as stockers can fill them.  We're being told to stay home as much as possible.  Limit the number of people we gather with.  Keep a distance of at least six feet from anyone we encounter.  Suddenly we're a nation of homeschoolers - whether we want to or not. 

It's enough to give you a big ol' tension headache.  And good luck finding any Excedrin in stock at the local Walmart to help with that! 

Which brings me back to my original question.  How are you really doing? 

I thought I was handling things well, until I found myself crying one morning last week for pretty much no reason what-so-every.  That's when I had to take a deep breath and start asking myself, "What exactly is making you so anxious?"  It didn't take long to come up with a whole list of things (and y'all know how I love a list), but what it all boiled down to was that feeling of having no control over the situation.  

I can't control how long this will last, what's going to happen next, or, for the most part, whether my family gets sick or not.  I certainly can't control whether will be able to find what I need at the grocery stores, when the schools will be able to reopen, or what others are doing.  All the worrying in the world is not going to change any of that. 

With all this uncertainty,  is it any wonder we are feeling stretched to our emotional limits?

We all have to take care of ourselves right now.  Especially if we have others we need to care for and support through all of the changes and uncertainty.  That means finding ways to cope with our stress.

So, what are things we can do to help manage our anxiety levels?

Acknowledge Anxious Thoughts and Emotions  You're not the only one feeling this way.  It's only natural to be concerned and stressed during a time like this.  If you try to ignore those feelings - instead of going away, the pressure will keep building until you eventually  break.  It's better to accept them for what they are.

Set A Routine  When things feel out of control - control what you can. Setting a routine for yourself can give some familiarity and comfort to your days.  Scheduling your days, especially tasks and work assignments can be especially important if you are telecommuting during these days of quarantines and social distancing. 

Talk To Someone  As we are recommended put some distance between us, it's easy to feel isolated.  Reach out to others!  Have conversations with the other people in your home.  Call someone.  Skype or Facetime with people you can't visit in person right now.  

Talk About Something Else  We are all consumed by thoughts of the virus right now, but we don't have to be.  Find topics other than the pandemic to discuss and get your mind off it for a little while.

Turn It Off  Sure, we want to stay aware of the latest news and information.  But there's a fine line between staying informed and becoming overwhelmed.  Turn off the tv, the computer and maybe even the phone for a while to give yourself a break. 

Self Care  Make time to care for your physical, emotional and spiritual health.  Enjoy your favorite hobby.  Pray and/or meditate.  Step outside to enjoy the sunshine and fresh air

Get Some Sleep  Lack of sleep makes every little stress that much more difficult to handle.  It also contributes to anxiety and depression.  It also makes you more susceptible to illness.  Be sure to get your beauty rest!

We're all trying to find our way though this new normal.  Which doesn't feel normal at all.  

Be kind to yourself and others.  Practice patience.  Better days are coming.