Reflecting on The Official First Half of 2020

Let me tell you a story...

When I was 11 years old, my mom came home from the store, burst into my bedroom and, with the widest smile on her face, told me, "I have a surprise for you!" I can't remember what I was holding, but I dropped it, stood up and ran to where she stood, asking what it was and when I could see it. Beaming, she told me that it was something I'd wanted my whole life, and then told me to shut my eyes. "Open them," she said. When I did, she had her hand extended out toward me, holding a tiny book with orange, purple, and pink blocks, and a mirror shaped like a heart on the cover. "It's a diary!" she exclaimed, turning it over so that I could see the lock on the side and handing me two, tiny keys. 

Excited, but confused, I asked her what I'm supposed to do with it. "You can write anything you want in there, and then you lock it so that nobody else can read it." 

"Like secrets?" I asked.

"Secrets, emotions...anything!" 

Honestly, I think my mom was more excited about this new diary than I was. Much of my childhood followed this pattern: her gifting me things or taking me places she'd only been able to dream of as a little girl. 

Of course, I wanted to write in it immediately, so I went back into my room, shut the door, unlocked the tiny lock with one of the tiny keys, and wrote the date. Then, I actually wrote the words, "Dear Diary,..." and I could tell you what followed, because I actually still have this tiny diary, but the musings of my 11-year old self are not the point of this story. 

That day, that diary, was the beginning of my love for writing. Not just any writing, but writing in a journal. 

What I have found over the years is that journaling serves two purposes: the first is to put on paper all of the thoughts in my mind and feelings in my heart, providing an indescribable clarity and sense of relief. The second, and possibly my favorite, is the ability to look back and reflect on periods of my life, and re-live some of my experiences. 

At the end of 2019, I wrote a post reflecting on the end of the year, and also the end of the decade. (You can read it HERE). Rather than focus on just the last 12 months, I'd spent time reading through my old journals (which is what the grown-up version of me calls them now) and re-living some of my life experiences. It was such an empowering time, because the 20-year old me and 30-year old me are two very different women, but they have a history of shared experiences, an entire lifetime between them. 

That post also referenced the future, what 2020 would bring, and my advice for making the most of it. What I didn't know, really what none of us knew, at the time was that this year would prove to be the strangest, most unprecedented year of our lifetime. No one could have predicted what has transpired in the last 6 months...and we still have 6 more to go. I saw a meme the other day that said, "At this point, I wouldn't be surprised if the dinosaurs came back," and man...I felt that. 

So although it's midway through the year, and not the time I would normally use for reflection, it seems fitting that I would look back on what the last 6 months have brought to the forefront of my mind, and share them with y'all in the hopes that you can relate:

1. Life is precious. I'm grateful for all the little things that make up my everyday life, and anything that I have beyond my basic necessities feels like a gift. 

2. I can be very happy with very little. 

3. There are a lot of things you can do to have fun as a family that cost absolutely nothing. 

4. Everything can wait. 

5. There are some topics that I simply can not disagree with someone about, and still consider them a friend. 

6.  I should hug the people I love, as often as possible.  

7.  As long as I have my health, I can figure everything else out. 

8.  My faith is my way of finding my calm in the chaos.

I don't know what the rest of this year will bring, but if these last 6 months are any indication, it's safe to say that it will be interesting. I'm going into it with the mindset of the most important lesson that I've been reminded of, and the last one I'll share:

Life is so very unpredictable.

The best thing that any of us can do is learn to find joy in the now because we have no guarantees beyond that. 

Peace, Love & Light, Amigos!

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