A Little Reflection to Count My Blessings…Before Attacking 2021
“Wishing you a heart open enough to stay curious, strong enough to face pain, and brave enough to feel joy.” — Brené Brown
I saw this and was struck by two things. First, the words grabbed my attention. I’ll admit, I am a sucker for inspirational says or scripture verses. If you looked through my journal or photos on my phone you would see a plethora of sayings and verses. I have discovered during the pandemic I have needed words of encouragement a little more often. The second thing that struck me about this was the actual image. Notice the position of the hands, they are open as if being able and willing to receive something. That is the stance that I always try and have. Being willing and open to take on new things: new learning, new ideas, new adventures, new opportunities, new opinions, new perspectives. A wise mentor shared these words with me and they made a lasting impression on me. “This is my understanding or belief today, but I might read or hear something tonight that might totally change my perspective and what I believe.” I have tried to live by those words to remind me that often my understanding is limited and it’s wise to be willing to learn from others.
As I look back on 2020, as I am sure all of us are doing this year, I want to take a moment to reflect on what has occurred and take a moment to count my blessings. I am an introvert by nature, so being home was not difficult for me to adjust to at first. But as time went on, the isolation became very difficult for me. I found it hard to have a positive outlook which is unusual for me. Interacting via Zoom although helpful, was not the same as seeing people in person.
Fall of 2019, I adopted a beautiful English Setter named Piper from an English Setter rescue organization. She was one and half when I adopted her. The start to her life was quite tragic. She was abused by her previous owner. Unfortunately, she is a hunting dog that is gun shy. Thankfully an observant neighbor noticed her being neglected in an outdoor kennel and called the authorities. She literally had food thrown at her through the kennel door. After her rescue, it was discovered that her ribs had been broken and were not set properly. I believe she was probably kicked because she is sensitive about being touched on her hind quarters. In spite of all of that, she is the sweetest little girl ever and her mission in life is to please and just wants to be loved. When I adopted her prior to the pandemic, she was extremely thin. She was mostly skin over bones. Over the past year she is finally at a healthy weight and continues to thrive. I never realized when I made the decision to get a dog again, what a comfort she would become for me. I often say, I am not sure who rescued whom!
One of the best things about English Setters, they are high energy and love to run. Last spring, while our state was shut down, our daily trips to the dog park were the one thing that I was able to look forward to each day. It’s the place where I was able to interact with other people, at a safe distance, and found our outings to be very helpful mentally, emotionally and physically. Piper and I spent several hours each day at the dog park getting exercise together.
Another positive, I became more intentional about spending time with friends even if we lived two hours away. One of my dear friends and I got in the habit of meeting halfway between us and biking one day a week. We explored the bike trails around Minnesota and typically did a 25–30 mile bike ride each week. One thing this past year has taught me is to be fully present and enjoy each blessing as it comes. These weekly bike rides were one of the BEST highlights of the summer of 2020. Below is a picture from our last ride of the season.
Recently, I reconnected with a friend from high school through some unfortunate circumstances. Her husband passed away in November. One Saturday as we were catching up on our lives since high school graduation, she asked me if I am still an avid golfer. Her question surprised me, because I didn’t realize that my passion for golf was so evident back in high school. To say I LOVE golf is putting it mildly. I find it intriguing what people remember about you. Here’s a good example of how much I truly love to golf! Two years ago I was fortunate that I was able to golf almost every day of the summer and typically golfed 36 holes a day, sometimes even 45. That was one of the best summers ever for me. This past summer I was able to convince my best friend to start golfing again. She had taken a 25 year hiatus but thankfully was ready to pick it up again. We were able to have many golf outings together and even did a weekend away celebrating our birthdays playing golf. I was that close to a hole in one this summer. I have had two eagles, but a hole in one is still elusive for me. Maybe that will happen in 2021! One can always dream.
All of these blessings lead up to truly one of the BEST for me. I have one sibling. An older brother that I have looked up to and admired my whole life for many reasons. He is extremely intelligent (went to school to be an Aerospace Engineer), very personable, has been married to his wife for almost 40 years and they have an amazing Godly relationship, and he’s just a super nice guy and good friend. In September he came up with a brilliant idea, for us to start a business together. Starting Learning for Life has been one of the biggest blessings in my life. I get to work with one of my favorite people on a daily basis, even if we live 1600 miles away from each other. My expertise is education definitely not business. My brother brings the business know how to our partnership and has been an incredible mentor for me. I am being stretched in ways I never imagined and learning so much. Some days I feel overwhelmed but then it seems like out of the blue my brother gives me an incredible word of encouragement and that’s enough to keep me going. Good lesson there that encouraging words are food for the soul!
Having an attitude of openness and willing to try new things and not wanting to settle for mediocrity, has allowed me to take on this new challenge, I am excited to see what God has in store for me through the vehicle of Learning for Life.
I have always been somewhat of a risk taker, or another way to look at is, afraid to miss out on an opportunity or an adventure. Thinking back to the photo above with open hands makes me wonder what opportunities lie ahead in 2021? I encourage you to keep your hands open and your heart waiting in expectation for your next opportunity or adventure may be. Don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone. It’s in those moments of tension that growth truly happens. I have grown so much in the past three months. I am fortunate to have an incredible mentor, brother and friend that is taking this journey with me. Here’s to new beginnings in 2021!
“Once you learn to read, you will be forever free.”
― Frederick Douglass
The joy is in the journey!
Peace,
Mary
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