OK,  so there definitely can be a silver lining to everything in life if we decide to have that outlook.

First and foremost, there are positive signs that real science is telling us - more and more options for the vaccine are here and will be available soon. This is great news for some, and for those that worry about vaccines will rely more on behavioral safety practices to get rid of this highly contagious pandemic.

There is a case for carrying our lives as close to normal as possible, which we did through the summer months, however caution is required.
It seems that 14-23 million people have decided to leave big cities because they can work from home and want to have the balance of outdoor living and job security in a field of their choice.

I never thought I could work from home away from my sample room. While I can do it full time, I also love the energy of a design studio. However, now that I can work from home, I run my company more intimately - I spend more time with each of my staff on daily Zoom calls. We identify problems and solve them, and we learn to maximize our successes.

So all-in-all, the first lockdown created a worklife I never thought possible for me and my staff.

Now is the time to look at the challenges.
If you’re a mom in your 30’s,  you may be having kids home no school only or half time virtual. If you are in your 20’s, all the carefree things you do for the first time in your life just aren’t happening. It can feel like the world is passing you by and you will never make up time lost especially chronological time.

The elderly are high risk and not having consistent contact with family is unsettling for all involved.

A pandemic is huge and it karmically is forcing us all to dig deep into what really matters in our lives.
Can we step away from the distractions like social media to soul search and find our purpose and agree with our potential that we are meant achieve?

We all hide behind our many commitments but none of them should be more important than the discovery of our purpose.

Journal writing is so therapeutic and self care for the soul should be part of our lives. Pick a time when you sit with yourself and talk truth. You write about the happiness, the fears, the disappointments and you will find the process is healing and enlightening.

There are many approaches to journal writing and even if you are not a writer you can write thoughts or just draw them or write a poem or a song that you are feeling in that moment. I created my mantra 50 years ago. It has evolved through the years and now it is my go-to when I need to step away from chaos.

Start writing the story of your life, the ups and downs, and the healing and discoveries. Include your dreams and always have hope, because every day is a new day when you believe you have another chance.

My choice for my 2020 journal is a book I created of inspirational quotes from people who just nail the right phrase, the right meaning, all expressing thoughtful lessons learned or lessons to learn. I find it a source of well being and comfort.

Here is an article I came across about writing your way through rough times:
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/the-value-of-writing-our-way-through-a-tumultuous-2020