2020 is over. But the gift it gave us — COVID-19 — continues to impact millions around the world. Here in Ontario, we entered a province-wide lockdown on 26 December 2020. The City of Toronto has been locked down since 23 November 2020. Tough days are still ahead, but we will, together, weather this storm. I’m still hanging on to hope because, in the words of Desmond Tutu: “Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all the darkness.” [Read more…] about 2020: Imperfectly Perfect
Writing Off the Grid
2020: It Changed Everything
I don’t know about you, but at the beginning of 2020, I had some big, ambitious plans. I’d hoped to: publish two full-length novels, complete my second full marathon, and begin transitioning out of a job that I no longer enjoyed. Those were my top goals for the year that would push me closer to living my life’s purpose, to be more daring and bold. Most of all, I wanted to stop caring about what other people think and focus on what matters most. Then COVID-19 hit and changed everything.
Embracing Reality
COVID-19 brought a lot of chaos to the world, turned lives upside-down, and claimed too many lives. Until March of this year, I worked in the aviation industry. As airlines cut flights, I was among the first of employees that were furloughed. I had a choice — wallow and complain about my situation, or make the best of it. I chose to embrace reality and threw my energy into what mattered most. Writing. Living my best life. Staying true to who I am.
What 2020 Has Taught Me
Despite being able to focus on my writing, it hasn’t been easy. Going from a full-time job to no job. Staying home and not seeing friends or family. Feeling cut off from the world, a growing disconnect. Still, I’m learning just how resilient the human spirit is. There is hope just beyond the horizon. That if we believe, good things can, and will, happen.
As the year winds down, and with a potential vaccine for COVID-19 only weeks away from approval, I am hanging on to hope. Hope is the light that guides us through the darkness, that gives us the courage to go on when we’re on the verge of giving up.
For me, 2020’s greatest lesson is this: don’t give up.
Signing Off
A lot has happened this year. One thing I’ve become better at is taking care of myself, knowing when to push on and when to rest. Now it’s time to rest. I’ll see you in 2021. In the meantime, be well, stay safe, and live your best life.
What is your biggest achievement of 2020? Leave a comment below or click Reply to share.
Staying Positive During a Pandemic
When the first lockdown occurred here in Ontario — and especially when there was a lot of uncertainty about the way forward — I stayed positive. Despite losing my job, I saw it as an opportunity to focus on my writing and other creative pursuits. And that was how I spent my days. Being creative. And since March, I’ve written three novels (two solid first drafts and one that’s almost ready for publication). I learned to make duck confit. I ran (until an injury sidelined me for a while). Writing. Running. Being creative in the kitchen. Those things made staying positive in the early days of the pandemic possible. [Read more…] about Staying Positive During a Pandemic
7 Days of Bliss
It’s like a magic pill. The moment I turn off social media, everything falls away. The overwhelm. The doubt. The fear of both success and failure. It’s the easiest way to get back to myself, to remind myself of what really matters. So, that’s what I did last week. I unplugged from social media, and that gave me seven days of bliss.
The ONE Thing
When life gets busy, and I feel overwhelmed, some of the things I love fall to the wayside. Like listening to podcasts. During my time away from social media, I downloaded a few episodes from the ‘Achieve Your Goals with Hal Elrod’ podcast. Elrod’s interview with Geoff Woods, the Vice-President of The ONE Thing, stopped me in my tracks. The conversation reminded me about all the ways I’ve gotten off track. And that to achieve my goals, I had to simply focus on one thing. My ONE thing. Writing. [Read more…] about 7 Days of Bliss
Course Correction
When I learned to kayak, my instructor made swim the rapid. Even though I grew up with a pool in the backyard, I wasn’t a strong swimmer. And the lifejacket strapped to my body didn’t really comfort me, either. “Don’t panic. And take a big breath when the rapid shoots you out, because then it’s going to pull you back down again.” Sure enough, I panicked. Underwater, my arms flailed grandly as I tried to reach the surface. When my head popped out of the water, I took a breath — probably not as big as I should have — and then quickly disappeared underwater. When I came to the surface again, I was beyond spent and, to my dismay, headed straight for the next rapid. And I was desperately in need of a course correction. [Read more…] about Course Correction