2020's Surprise Blessing
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2020’s Surprise Blessing
I will remember 2020 as the year that a group of people came together to meditate every morning, and helped each other to get through this year of uncertainty and tremendous change.
I began 2020 excited for the greatest decade ever. As someone who loves to plan, I set my commitments for 2020 and the next decade. While they may have played out differently than I’d intended, there were many silver linings, also. 2020 reminded me of what I intellectually know be true - I can’t control all of the circumstances of my life, but I can control my thoughts and my perspective.
As I reflect on 2020, I will remember many lessons. I will remember that it was the year that didn’t turn out as I had planned. I will remember that it was the year that we were put in time out. I will remember the fear, pain, and outrage that we saw repeatedly when we turned on our televisions or refreshed our feed. I will remember it as the year I spent more time with family, friends, and neighbors. I will remember it as a year of deep reflection and introspection.
And, I will remember 2020 as the year that a group of people, many strangers to one another, came together to meditate every morning, and helped each other to get through this year of uncertainty and tremendous change.
2020 pushed me out of my comfort zone and accelerated growth in ways that I didn’t think I was ready for. Five days into lockdown, I recognized that 2020 was not going to be the year I had planned for, and I knew that I needed to focus on serving others. What started as a way for me to serve, to give back, to do SOMETHING - turned into one of the greatest blessings.
On March 17 I wrote in my journal that I could see that people were anxious, and that maybe I should offer a free meditation class in the mornings. I wasn’t sure if anyone would join, but I felt compelled to share the offer on social media, with my friends, my coaching clients, and with organizations that I was working with. On our first day, March 23, 7 people attended.
Although many of us were initially strangers to one another, we came to rely on each other for support, encouragement, and accountability. We celebrated birthdays, shared our needs and challenges, and developed genuine care and affection for each other.
We live in different communities, many of us have never met in person, would never have met otherwise, and yet feel connected. When someone missed practice, the group would notice. When members became ill or experienced loss, the group was concerned and supportive. When someone experienced joy, we celebrated with them.
Eight months later, I am grateful to say that our group has expanded and we still meet daily. This group has been one of the greatest gifts of my life. A few weeks ago we had our group virtual holiday party. We had our cameras on, dressed up, had our family members join us, and shared how we each came to join this meditation group. We made plans for retreats and gatherings when we could safely travel and meet each other in person. We expressed how this group has helped us to get through this year of uncertainty and tremendous change.
When discussing our silver linings and greatest lesson that we’ll take forward in 2021 and beyond, our group chose GRATITUDE. While the pandemic may have brought us all together, it really was something bigger than that. And for that, I am forever grateful.
I reflect back on a journal entry from earlier this year that I wrote to myself:
“Our life is a series of moments strung together. Enjoy the moments in between, enjoy the silence, the quiet, the ebbs and flows, the chaos - all of it. Learn to flow with each wave. Don’t resist. Float. Breathe. Enjoy the sunshine on your face. Cuddle up and build a fire when it is dark and cold. But, don’t ever wish a single moment away. Don’t ever rush from moment to moment. Be present, be still, be focused, be you. After all, this is all we have.”
While I miss some things from before, I also treasure things from this period of time. I had predicted that 2020s would be the best decade ever, and I believe that now more than ever before. I believe that every single one of us has talents, gifts, experiences, thoughts, beliefs that are unique to us that we are meant to share. What we bring to each other, to our relationships, to our communities, is special. We have the ability to light up the world.