~:[CH9 - Day 365+1]:~ Lost & Found

 

~:[CH9 - Day 365+1]:~ Lost & Found

Tonight we normally would be gathering at my house making a spread to dream of. Of course, like most things in 2020, it was canceled. It was lost. We've lost so much. From dances to sporting events, family gatherings, vacations, and even the day-to-day interactions we took for granted. However, there was also a lot that was found. My family is not the most tech savvy group in the world, but somehow we managed to all get on Zoom and have a little chat together to countdown to 2021. Many hung on to the very end and while we were missing a few, it was nice to gather and just enjoy each other's company. It's not what we wanted, but it's what we got and in it, we found a new opportunity. It's easy to get lost in all that can bring you down in life. From the loss of a loved one, those moments you fall short, the missed opportunities and simply feeling like life is getting away from you, but in those challenging times, we must look towards finding it is what we lost along the way. There's no replacing a loved one, but we can live our lives with their love and spirit. We don't always have a second change, but in that loss, we find a new opportunity. Sometimes we simply lose ourselves, but during that time, we discover who is there for us or new people who can help us in our journey. As while sometimes things snowball down for awhile and you lose more than you find, the world is a law of averages, hang in there and keep those feet moving forward. Many of us have faced so much heartbreak this year and have found ourselves at rock bottom, but even then, look for all that is waiting to be found. I was lucky enough to have a front-loaded schedule in 2020 allowing me to do more than most, yet even still, the struggles of 2020 were real. I am so grateful to have such a wonderful and loving cast of people around me whether here in the States or abroad, especially to my friends in Asia. From Zoom calls to coordinating pickups, daytrips to some isolated location or simply throwing some ideas or encouragement my way, I am grateful for all that you have helped me find along the way. Moving into 2021, I learned greater skills in editing and using tech while teaching, a wider-range of culinary knowledge, more connections abroad (with more job opportunities), and of course a cleaner room (or it was a few months ago). While the list could go on and on, in my eyes, the value of what I found outweighed what I lost, not because it was, but because I made up my mind to believe it was so. Why? In the end, the greatest thing I found is the appreciation for the simplest things, a hug, a meal, or even just time together. All these things outshined by concerts, vacations and other events became the things you remembered not to forget moving forward. Now it's time to heal, as we pick up the pieces that we find, and while 2021 will not change how we are living overnight, it's a brand new chapter where we start making strides forward. As while it's a tragedy to have the world around us destroyed, it only means that overtime, we have the opportunity to build it back up together. It will take time, but I know what we find at the end, will be better than what we had before. I love you and wish you a Blessed, safe and health new year.