My "Grateful For" List
So, here we are... It’s been over two weeks since the rink closed on Thursday March 12th (that’s how I’ve personally been measuring how long this “new normal” has been) and I haven’t felt like writing. I thought I would want to write all the time and would be so excited to finally get the chance to reach out to you all more often, but I’ve been feeling stuck. I haven’t known what to say. I have so many emotions swirling around my own head about this whole situation and then when I start to think about how different everyone else’s experience is around the country and around the world, I get overwhelmed and tongue tied. (Or, finger tied, as the case may be…) So, I’ve decided to hang out with the elephant in the room, give her a big hug, bring her in to the conversation, and write some lists I’ve been thinking about a lot.
Today’s list- 5 Things I’m Grateful for:
1. My parents. Let’s start here. I’m so grateful for all my parents have done for me and taught me over the years. I feel that their guidance has truly helped me weather this storm and remain open, positive, and resourceful during an incredibly difficult time. They taught me empathy, they taught me to be an independent thinker, and they taught me to be strong and to never, ever give up.
2. My extended family and friends. My favorite moments of this period have been video calls and texts from my friends and family. I’ve realized that I definitely do not make enough time to connect with the people who matter most to me in regular daily life, and I promise to be better at it when we come out of this on the other side. Both for myself and for those I love. I am so grateful for zoom game nights, online salsa fests, heart to hearts, virtual hugs, and all the love and support I’ve received from my peeps both near and far. I love you so, so much and I am so grateful to have you all in my life. You know who you are.
3. My dog! I literally cannot express how important he is to me and how grateful I am for this gift of being able to spend so much time with him. (He’s happily snoozing on my lap as I’m writing this.) He’s been a huge comfort through this whole ordeal, and going out on long walks with him has been a lifesaver for me. It’s definitely going to be hard going back to having to leave him for a couple hours every day…
4. My mind (and my education). This one goes hand in hand with being grateful for my parents…first of all, because they always nurtured my deep sense of curiosity and my desire to learn, and secondly because they always taught me the importance of a good academic education. Let’s start with my drive to learn- this desire to keep my mind and body active by learning and practicing new things is helping to keep me sane in these crazy times. Even in the moments when I feel like staying glued to the couch, my experience reminds me that I will feel better if I do that online salsa class, or yoga class, or just a simple workout. And I am grateful for that.
Now onto being grateful for my academic education. When I was younger, I didn’t fully understand why getting a good academic education was so important, but it has been becoming more and more apparent to me in many ways lately. I’d like to write a longer blog post just on this, but I’ll try to keep it short for this one. I am incredibly grateful that my education has given me the ability to understand and analyze the information I’m taking in about this crisis. Too often, I take for granted my ability to read, write, and process information. I know many are not as lucky as I am to have these abilities and to be able to use them without thinking twice.
I have been learning everything I can about this pandemic- listening to countless podcasts, reading articles, watching news reports- because I believe that it is so, SO important to be informed and armed with FACTS during a time like this. There is so much misinformation, incomplete information, and downright lies circulating, and I am so grateful that I know how to think for myself and that I can go out and find the real facts and know to listen to the opinions of those who are most experienced in dealing with the issues surrounding this crisis. When you’re going through school, you don’t think the skills you learned from analyzing a novel in an English paper will help you survive a global pandemic, but they will. You don’t think that your middle school science teacher’s obsession with getting you to understand that you can’t believe everything your friends tell you they read on the internet will someday save your life or someone else’s. But this is exactly what is saving or endangering human lives right now. Facts and logical thinking literally save lives and lies/misinformation lead to bad decisions that have disastrous consequences. Make informed decisions for yourself and those you come into contact with, and make sure what you hear from people in positions of power are fact not fiction.
5. My body. I definitely do not say thank you enough to my body and all it does for me. Not only does it allow me to enjoy the things I love to do most- skating, teaching, and dancing- but it also keeps me sane by allowing me to stay healthy enough to take walks with my dog and cook meals I love in my kitchen. Hearing horror stories about strong, healthy people getting struck down by this virus has made me realize just how much my body does for me. And when this is all over, I am most definitely going to keep thanking it over and over again by giving it time to move, good food to eat, and rest when it needs it. I wouldn’t be able to experience this wonderful thing called life without ya, body of mine. So, thank you. I love you.
And, there you have it! My list for today. It was incredibly helpful for me to write all this down, and I hope it has been helpful for you to read it. I highly recommend writing your own list. Journaling (and in turn, blogging!) has been another wonderful blessing this pause has given me, and I suggest you give it a try. You might just learn some new things about yourself you never knew you had in there… Stay strong, stay smart, and stay safe. 💪🏼💜😊