Happy birthday eve to me. As I sit hit here in my office on this hot, muggy morning, I am contemplating all the changes of this last year. The pandemic of 2020 sure threw my life into a tizzy. I am not the same person as I was, but yet, in my heart I still am to some respects. Normally, I would wait until the end of the year to write a retrospective, but this last year has been unlike no other for myself and countless others.
Starting Over
Expectations are a funny thing. They never happen when you want them to. I planned for a second act, just not on May 22, 2020. Guess God finally heard my prayers and provided an answer in what felt like an instant. I was hoping for something more gradual, not life upending. A worldwide pandemic is not really what I asked for. No one did. Countless lives were lost because of it, and it filled me with many emotions.
It didn’t really hit me how different things were going to be until I was furloughed a year ago this past May. Losing my job was such a blow. I didn’t do anything wrong; it was just that I wasn’t needed anymore because of pandemic. Everything was shutting down. No new hires or training as half the business was closed until further notice. It made sense. I wasn’t angry about this in the least. I was just sad because I knew in my heart, that I would not be coming back. Life changed rapidly.
Remembering that time last year would not be complete if I didn’t mention the horrible wildfires. Since 2017, fires plagued the state of California. The arrived earlier and earlier every year. In 2019, most of us in Sonoma County were evacuated from our homes. It was a frightening time. 2020 felt worse on many levels for me.
Another Birthday Month
Another fire had sprung up just to the west of town and was threatening the heart of wine country where I had called home for almost 22 years. At the end of July, I had lost my job for good. I went into my birthday month of August knowing that our time in the little City of Healdsburg was coming to an end. The sky was orange and the air was smoky. For two months I had been getting up early and walking every morning. Now I couldn’t even go outside because it wasn’t safe to breathe.
Fortunately though, God heard my prayers again, and helped our first responders to mitigate the fire and save our community. I spent the entire month of August looking for a new job. I applied for jobs across the country. After numerous interviews, I landed a job with Mosaic, a whole healthcare provider based in Omaha, NE. We were moving back to the Midwest, and that was okay by me.
Health Crises
You know the rest of the story because I talked about the move already over several previous posts. What you probably don’t know is the emotional toll it took. My better half had a health crises during the move and it has taken a year to get that under control. You have no idea how scary it was for me. Despite it all, he remained the brave and strong person that I love.
As for me, I am about to embark on a little health detour. Fix it now, or the consequences could be horrendous not to mention the pain. I’ll probably be out of commission for about a month, but back on my feet just in time for Halloween and the rest of my favorite holidays!
Another Trip Around the Sun
It’s been quite a year. Lost my job, found a new job, packed up and moved across country, and dealt with health issues. Found a temporary place to live (and we are still going to stay here for at least another year until we find our forever home), got a promotion, survived four seasons of weather we hadn’t seen in two decades and are slowly learning where everything is in our new city.
I’ve managed to squeeze in some writing, finished my education goals for the year and even picked up a new (old) hobby. Boxes fill my studio/office, but I am satisfied with the state of things for now. I am spending the day doing a little more organizing and cleaning, and perhaps throwing in a little sewing to boot. I am happy with the state of things and welcome the beginning of my next trip around the sun.
So yes, Happy Birthday Eve to me! I am going to spend the next two days doing what I love – watch movies and work on crafts.
Continuing to embrace the changes dear friends!
