Remember four years ago? That thing called the Pandemic when our country shut down and our lives changed in the blink of an eye? There are so many things about that time that weren’t easy or good – like people being sick or hospitalized and being alone because family couldn’t be there, or other medical issues not being addressed because our health care system couldn’t manage it, or just being alone because we had to socially distance ourselves from our community, people losing jobs, businesses shutting down, or all of the division and anger on social media because of fear and opinions. Remember how scary it felt?

Remember how some people really struggled through it and still do? Domestic abuse, substance abuse, divorce, mental health struggles and therapists overbooked, our kids missing out on education, socializing and growing with their peers, and the mental health and gaps in their development are just some of the ways families and people struggled and continue to struggle through the effects of the pandemic.

I believe that when the world shut down, everyone was forced to be still and quiet for perhaps the first time in their lives. It is so easy for us – especially in our Western culture and mindset to live busy overscheduled lives where we can be distracted and numb to our emotions. We can be too busy to feel and there are so many ways to avoid it. The pandemic gave us time – so much time to feel. And for a lot of people that was uncomfortable to traumatic. For the first time, all that lied underneath was brought to the surface.

For me, it was a gift in that way. My family had been through addiction, separation, a move, divorce and the death of my kids’ father within just a few years. Several other losses and struggles followed. Life does not have a pause button. I remember thinking that it was so hard to process and heal when life didn’t slow down. We were in therapy, coaching, exercising, and doing all the things we could do to heal with life moving forward. Then the world stopped and life paused. We could breathe.

Oh, it was still hard. My older kids struggled. Sometimes relationships were tested and strained. And, we had to deal with them. We couldn’t just leave or keep ourselves busy to distract ourselves from what was happening within ourselves and our relationships. We were tested – what’s within you and what truly matters to you?

We have all heard the story of how you’re walking down the street holding a cup of hot coffee and someone bumps into us and it spills. The question being posed is “why did you spill your coffee?” The short answer is because someone bumped into you. The deeper answer is because you had coffee in your cup – if it had been tea or lemonade, you would have spilled tea or lemonade. Meaning, whatever is inside the cup – the vessel – is what will come out. If you have anger, bitterness, resentment, unhealed trauma and get shaken or jostled by life, those are going to be what comes out of you. Getting bumped simply released what was already there. But. If you have healing, peace, kindness, respect, and joy within – let that shit go everywhere.

I know that we were part of the privileged ones that were not living in poverty, food insecurity, fear of the loss of a job, illness, or abuse. We were just a regular family of a solo single mama with three teenagers trying to heal and keep moving forward. For me, slowing down made room to breathe and to heal. Life literally paused for us to catch our breath and catch up. All the work we had been doing to process, heal and grow, could finally take root and flourish. It was a gift of time at home to cocoon in our bubble of safety and healing. It was a gift of more time to spend with my teenagers when in any other time, I would have had less. It was a gift to trim the excess of stuff and distractions and focus on what was really important – gosh, we were given the gift of time and perspective to really figure out what was most important. It made us realize how important healthy connection and community was and we got creative in how we created it.

I would say we even had a little more time for fun. Since life was moving slower, we could be more intentional with how we spend our time and we could make room for fun, pleasure, and connection in new ways – like, puzzles on the kitchen table, bird feeders in the backyard, reading books by the fire, playing games and cooking outdoors. I mean, how many home and landscaping projects did YOU get done during that time? Home took on a whole new meaning. As a Realtor, I saw people put more thought and heart into what home was than ever before.

I love the meaning behind the word Hygge. I lived the Hygge life long before I knew there was a word for it. My spirit and personality has always leaned toward cozy, connection, personal growth and relationships, and a slower and more intentional pace to be able to prioritize and enjoy those. Other countries do this so well – they live life in a way where there is more room for pausing, being still, stopping and smelling the flowers, enjoying a long leisurely lunch full of good food and good friends, and joy – so much joy.

I don’t know about you, but my spirit is longing for that in this season. We all said we learned so much during the pandemic about what was really important and that we wanted to hold onto that as the world started again. But did we? Or did we just get back to work at being busy and distracted. I am choosing slow and intentional. I am choosing more time at home and being hygge. I am choosing healing and peace. I am choosing intentional community and connection. I am choosing joy.

I don’t need another world crisis to remind me. This season of caring for my father in law was enough of a reminder.

What about you? What’s going to come out of your cup when life bumps into you?

Remember When The World Stopped…

Invest In Yourself… And Your Future

Spring Into Your Home