Every year, I take the last week of the year off to spend quality time with my family.
Normally I would plan multiple things to do and see the week between Christmas and New Year just so that we weren’t laying around. And now that I’m a mom, it’s a MUST to have things planned and organized.
Even though I would be busy being a mom, which is a job that never ends, I knew that I wouldn’t be chained to my laptop answering emails and editing drafts that could wait. I had high hopes for the week and made sure to make it fun and memorable!
Then my husband wasn’t feeling well, followed by my toddler.
Within 24 hrs, I was gripped by sickness and my entire family spent the last week of 2022 in bed resting and recovering. To say that things didn’t go according to plan is an understatement.
I felt awful not only because I was sick, but because everything I had planned was ruined.
Everything that I wanted to do with my family had to be put on hold and instead, we stayed indoors coughing, sipping on chicken noodle soup, and participating in countless hours of screen time. I felt like a failure as a mom.
Then one day while cleaning up random Kleenex tissues around the house, it dawned on me that this has been an ongoing theme for the past three years. The COVID-19 global pandemic has robbed everyone of their dreams and future plans.
While it’s always been customary to wish and dream of what we want the new year to hold…the last few years have been absolutely unpredictable.
All the goals we wanted to achieve were put on hold for years and we’ve all been accustomed to just sitting by and idly waiting for the world to come back to normal. Let’s wait for things to be normal and then we can get back to planning and think about what we want our future to be.
When in reality, we never know what the future is going to be regardless if there is a global pandemic or not.
We can plan, dream, and organize everything we want but, in reality, we have no control over what life throws at us. That’s what gets us upset the most: the fear of losing control over the outcome of our lives.
But when you think about it…did we ever really have control?
Throughout my experience, I could plan whatever I thought would be a great future but nine times out of ten I never really know what the future has in store. I never planned on being a mom or living where I do now, life had its own plans and these unpredictable changes in my life have been wonderful.
Trying to control every outcome of the future is like trying to control gravity, it’s a losing game.
This is in no way saying to forget about dreaming or manifesting what you desire but instead to understand that sometimes life has better plans for us that we might not see. Instead of trying to think of ways to control the future, what if we just stick to what we can control…which is this moment right now?
The here and now?
I hate it when things don’t go according to plan and that happens often, which tells me that this is something I need to work on. I need to work on being present, being still, and staying in the present. Being still and present with my family without going the fancy outings or scheduled playdates do not mean I am not doing anything productive.
Being still is a gift and a part of the transformation of your life.
If you look at where you are right now compared to where you were three years ago, there is a big chance that things have changed that were out of your control. Whether that be positive or negative, the point is that you are still here.
You have witnessed history in the making multiple times and you have made it to the end of another year. That in itself is a blessing.
Today is New Year’s Eve and I know that I will be home in my PJs with my husband and toddler recovering from sickness. Is this what I wanted? Not really. But will I be with my tiny family and embracing the fact that we made it through another year with each other safely and take a moment to sit and be present with them? Absolutely.
I know these last three years have been hell, to say the least, but just know that you are loved, you are important, and you bring a certain magic to this world that no one else can.
I wish you a beautiful and safe New Year and hears to hoping that 2023 isn’t another shitshow.
Happy New Year!
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Till next time,
