A Little Catch-up, A Few Lessons and A Whole Lot of Grace

 Just a little catch-up. 

This year so far (2021) has been an interesting one for me personally. Starting in November of 2020, I decided to work on putting myself first a little bit more. I also decided that I needed to be a little gentler with myself and not hold myself to such rigid standards. I needed to give myself some much-needed grace. Goodness knows that I have always been my own worst enemy. So far, we are now in mid-April, and I am still fighting the good fight and keeping myself in a forward-moving motion but not punishing myself if I stumble. That is definitely progress.

They say with age comes wisdom. I'm not sure if that is true or not, but one thing I seem to be learning deep down inside and not just on the surface is, I have to do things that make me happy, make me smile, and make me feel good. If I don't, then I can't help to make others happy, smile, or feel good. What I put out to the world needs to be the best of me, and that is what I am trying to achieve.

This last year has taught me a great deal about life, from the people that I have lost to the times when my time was not my own. Some things I learned were; if a young girl can live a lifetime of good, caring, and giving in 18 short years, then what have I done with my life having been given decades more time than she had? I also learned (in case there was ever a doubt) that I was never meant to be a teacher (especially where math is concerned), and that teachers deserve so much credit for showing up every day and not crying. 

One slightly shocking lesson that came from all of this, was that being in a lockdown or quarantine situation affected me very little because apparently, I live like I am in quarantine all the time. Who knew? Another fun fact I've learned about me....masks make me hot from the top of my head to my toes and if you put a mask on my mouth and nose, I will sweat clear through my clothes. This makes any public situation where masks are required, a sweaty mess. Yeah, and I smell pretty too! 

After much thought and introspection, I also learned that I need to be brave and spend this second part of my life, never fearing to try new things, live my life as I choose and as fearlessly as I can, and to speak up and out whenever I know it is right. And finally, perhaps one of the greatest things I have learned is that I need to listen more, give more, talk less, and to remember that there is always something to be grateful for. 

Yes, that's a lot of lessons to learn, but 2020 was a really long year!  

So, if you know me at all, then you know that one of my greatest joys is to blog. Going forward, I hope to blog more. Sadly, these last couple of years, life has been so challenging at times, that being able to focus enough to blog on a regular basis has been difficult. I am hoping to change that, especially, since I am actually the proud blogger on four different blogs. Four you say? Yes! I have this one of course, which covers my life, my family, and just about everything I feel and believe. My second blog is about my son David who is differently-abled and who will be 21 this year. He is a bona fide miracle and his blog has spanned many many years and the many ups and downs of his life. The third blog is about health, nutrition, exercise, and how to do you, even if your nutrition isn't the best and exercise is a dirty word to you. Finally, my fourth and final blog has to do with my journey through Al-Anon and life as a mother with an addicted child. As you can see all of these blogs have different viewpoints and appeal to different audiences. That being said, they are all a part of me and they all deserve a little 2021 love, so as a way to make myself happier, and maybe even as a way to give back a bit, I hope to be doing more blogging throughout the rest of 2021. 

If you would like to follow one or all of my blogs or blog posts, but finding them all seems a bit daunting, I have a page on Facebook called The Lisa Blogs and if you click on The Lisa Blogs <<<here, it will take you to the page. You can follow/join the page and whenever a new blog post is made, it will show up there. Also, feel free to invite your friends, to share my blog posts, and to comment whenever the mood strikes your fancy. Writers love to live in the glow of those who appreciate their work. 

Mixed in with the blogging, my new found love of the gym (I have no idea where that came from), and my new found freedom since I am no longer the worlds worst math teacher, I have also done a great deal of cooking, trying new dishes and making things from scratch and canning. That definitely took me back to my younger years when I swore to my mom that, "When I am an adult, I will NEVER can." Never say never. I have also taken up sewing again. It has been years, but I have found a new love for it and have enjoyed making several things of late. I am still not the best at it, but again, I am working to be gentle with myself and to remember that each mistitch and mistake is a learning experience. 

So as you can tell, 2020 was a lesson dump and in 2021, I am trying to take each lesson in and learn from it. Some days are better than others, but on the not-so-great days, I give myself grace (a lot of grace), but I don't let myself run from my goals. Instead, I give myself a day and then I make myself get right back at it. It really has been a nice change in my life.

Going forward on here, I plan to continue to discuss some of my newfound lessons, to talk about life, to share my family (when they let me), and to touch on the things in the world that affect me. I hope that you come along for the ride and if you like what you read, that you invite others to come along too. 

Until next time, I hope you are happy, healthy, and able to live fearlessly in 2021.