Photo by Lelia Milaya

March 14 marked the one-year anniversary that my daughter Havana and I went into COVID lockdown, and a little over a year since COVID-19 officially became a pandemic.

What a colossal shake-up the world has had. We’ve endured a tremendous amount of loss, suffering, change, and upheaval. First responders, community organizers, and regular folks who live next door have shown great courage and sacrifice. From political turmoil to racial, gender, and social justice, the world is a different place today than it was a year ago, and we are all different people in it.

Yet, there’s still a lot of bad things happening, but suffering and adversity can not only make us stronger but more thoughtful, caring, and purposeful. It did for me.

I experienced a transformation during this time. I saw how I wound up being, and that did not work for me anymore; I choose to become someone else, an updated version. A new and improved version. A kinder, gentler, more accepting version. A deep listener not for what is said but for what is unsaid version.

Here are three important takeaways:
01 | Everyone has a Worldview
Listen to others not from where you stand but from where they stand. This provides an opportunity to “GET ” someone fully from their point of view and not yours.

02 | Create Healthy Boundaries
 Your only access to power lies on your side of the fence. Here you have a chance to live your life freely, not from what others think you should be but from what YOU know yourself to be.

03 | Life is Uncertain
The only thing certain is that uncertainty will constantly be showing up. Being prepared and ready to deal with it will alleviate much of life’s surprises, good or bad.

The one thing you can be sure of is that change is similar to the ocean. It’s like surfing, the waves are what happens in life, and the surfboard is your thoughts. Learn to ride life, my friends; what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.

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