Taking treasures from the trash…

I know that we have touched on this before, but realizing that we have lived in an  unprecedented year throughout a global pandemic, I believe we would be remiss to jump into 2021 without further examination. During this past year we experienced loss.  And we experienced gain.  With both, comes perspective and a chance for growth. An opportunity to take treasures from the trash.  So I have been pondering two very important questions should we choose not to squander what we have learned from what we have lost and from what we have gained last year.

I asked a number of people what they felt that 2020 took away from them.  The responses were varied, but were not felt alone.  They included such things as… lost trips, holidays with family, a pause in our goals, the ability to meet new people, any sense of control that we thought we once had, celebrations of the babies born this year and the chance to get to meet them, the anticipation of planned trips and events, foregone memories, financial security, social connections with those outside our four walls, sports, graduations, jobs, sense of safety and even for some, human touch.

In all of those discussions, I started wondering, what can I take back in 2021 that 2020 took away?  What is it that my soul needs in order for it to live?  What can I do to take back what my heart longs for?

What would you say?  What can you take back in 2021 that 2020 took away from you? Would you be willing to sit with that question for a little bit?

But before you do, I want to acknowledge that although 2020 was definitely a hard year, there was so much we gained from the experiences it brought us!

I know that for me personally, I gained family dinners with all ten of us around the table once again.  I gained the ability to appreciate the little things that I once took for granted… like a trip to the grocery store or movie theatre or a walk with a friend or being able to go to any store and get whatever I needed when I needed it. I gained insight into what was triggering my anger. I gained time to rest in the waiting, which is incredibly hard for this mom that thrives on productivity!  I gained a much need perspective through the eyes of a nine year old.

I was told some gained insight into realizing they are more of an extrovert than they originally thought.  Some gained an  understanding for a need for boundaries. Some gained a dog, a love for camping, a new hobby, talents or desires they didn’t know they had.  Some gained time for personal reflection.   Some gained time for phone calls with friends far away. Others gained a new hair-do, or maybe some weight. 🙂

So in the same light, I started pondering another question. What can I keep in 2021 that I gained in 2020? What treasures can I rescue from the trash? What can I be intentional in keeping as I move into this new year? If you were to inquire that of yourself, what would your answer be?  What can you keep in 2021 that you gained in 2020? What are you not willing to let go of from this experience? What are you determined to not let slip away this year?

Maybe the answer is bubbling on the surface of your heart already. Or maybe, you haven’t allowed yourself the time to ask what it needs. But if we are open to the GIFT of the lessons we gleaned last year, we have to be willing to understand what new treasures we want to take with us and what old treasures we want to go back and reclaim.

Here’s to a year of better learning and knowing ourselves so that we can offer others the gift of who we are!

Happy New Year!

Elizabeth