It is so hard to become depressed and disgruntled during this crazy year, and now more than ever, we need to find any kind of silver lining that we can in our lives. Since the pandemic closed our high school on March 17, I have put my energy into trying to be as positive as I can.
I've used the last few months to spend quality time with my family, and it has taught me about what is truly important in life. My son will be seventeen months this July and I've seen some wonderful changes in him over the course of the lockdown. He's learned twelve words - mom, dad (da), up, cheese, egg, grandpa, grandma, duckie, mine, hi, yay, and eat.
I've watched as his motor skills advanced quickly, as he went from knocking over Duplos to figuring out how to put them together. He performs for us, as he plays Peekaboo, dunks basketballs on his Fischer Price net, and throws himself into somersaults.
My time spent with him has been nothing short of precious and even though the world has been turned upside down, he's brought everything in my life sunny side up. It's a shame that people in our world can't go about their lives with the innocence of a child. We wouldn't have war, racism, greed, disrespect. We would have someone that loves others, laughs, and builds up your spirits. Life would be as Louis Armstrong sang, "What a wonderful world."
This isn't to say that my normal positivity wasn't challenged in these times. I've suffered from cabin fever pretty hard, and my travel bug never itched so badly. I've been depressed over stories that I've read in the news, and I get stressed over what the school year will look like come fall. But in these times, it helps to keep my mind busy.
That's partly why I've been writing and reading every day since March. It's been a pleasure to share my thoughts with the world. It hasn't always been easy. When you raise a one-year-old, you are often tired, and so your writing ideas tend to run dry from time to time. But I pride myself that I can keep this going, day after day.
I walked at least ten thousand steps for the entire month of June, and while that may pale in comparison to those more active, it was a goal that I set out to complete and I did it. I finished the month with just over 339,000 steps, and I hope to beat that number by the end of July.
I landscaped our backyard and created a secret garden path - planting hosta, daylilies, coreopsis, coleus, perennial seed mix, and black eyed susan. It was another one of my goals this year, and although it's a pain to water every day, it's a beautiful accomplishment.
So while 2020 is a year we will all more than celebrate its end on December 31, it was not without its moments for me. Life is what you make of it, and it's important to find silver linings in even the hardest of times.