Reflections on the End of the Year

As the end of the year is coming and the start of a new one is beginning, I want to remind you of two things. We can find ourselves reflecting on our years at the end and feeling a lack of accomplishment - especially if we are on social media and we are looking through everyone posting about their accomplishments. First, I want to remind you to not compare your worst days to somebody's highlights. We are still all in a pandemic. If all you did was survive this year, that is enough. We have had to do a lot to reorient ourselves to this new normal. We have had to miss big events and schedule and reschedule. That is a lot of change and uncertainty. It takes a lot of mental, physical, and emotional energy. So, figuring out what you needed to get by and changing course for new needs, is enough. If you did anything more, well that's just extra credit.

The second thing I found myself thinking about is planning for the new year. With everything changing on the daily, it can be hard to plan for this next year. It may be tempting to set up resolutions, but I want to encourage you not to wait until you meet some resolution before you start to care for the person you are now. You don't need to wait until you save a certain amount of money, find a romantic partner, get a new job, or change your health habits to start to care for the person you are now. That current person is reading this because they care about themselves. That current person has gotten you through every day so far. That current person is enough.

So, if you find yourself feeling the weight of the week between this year and next, I want to remind you that you are enough as is. You are enough if you didn't meet all your goals for 2021 and you are enough if you aren't at some goal you've set for 2022.

As always, take what is helpful and leave the rest. I hope you have the week you need.