Mindful Monday: Can You See the Light?

Do you see that? That's the light at the once seemingly never ending tunnel. It's a glimmer of hope that is looking shinier and shiner. 

It was nearly two years ago the rug was pulled out from under us. Life as we knew it changed overnight, literally. Everything we took for granted and everything we assumed would always be a constant was no longer. 

Over the last two years, we have learned a lot of hard life lessons. Here are a few of my takeaways. 

1) Teachers are even more important than society ever realized. Parents became their children's at home teachers and quickly understood just how challenging it can be keeping students engaged. They learned the extraordinary lengths teachers go to reach their students. They were blown away by the at home visits, the letters mailed, the phone calls and video messages made. I would even go as far to say that we learned that teachers and schools are the glue of our communities. 

2) Human connection is everything. We are not meant to isolate. We are not intended to survive independently. We need each other. Family and friends are everything.  We learned how precious life is and that we are not guaranteed a tomorrow. My family, like too many others, lost several loved ones during the course of the last two years. 

3) The fast lane is overrated. As Americans, we are constantly going. We are trying to out work and out do the "next guy". It's almost as though we don't know how to function if we're not busy. The pandemic put an abrupt halt to all the "busyness". And while it was weird at first, I soon began to appreciate the time spent at home cooking with my children, the water balloon fights in the backyard, and the movie and game nights spent at home.  

As things begin to return to "normal" (whatever normal really is), face masks start to become a thing of the past, and social distancing becomes a distant memory, there are some things I hope not to forget. I know now more than ever the great lengths teachers go to for their students. I know how precious life is and how unnecessary being busy really is.

While we all can't wait for this pandemic to fully be in the rearview mirror, I hope there are a few lessons that you are not too quick to forget. Afterall, if there isn't something that we are learning from these last two years, then perhaps we've completely missed the point.