New Beginnings
🌟Weekly Inspiration🌟
My 14-year-old son came home with a buzz cut this week—and he’s been happier, a new spring in his step. He’s had shaggy surfer hair for a long time now. It got me thinking about springtime, daylight savings time, the approaching season of Easter and Passover, the two-year anniversary of the pandemic, and the new beginning of school without masks next week, for those who want it.
The past two years have been a challenging season for most of us in varying ways (we’ve traveled a long road together with COVID, the racial reckoning, and a toxic political climate over the last two years). As we turn a new page, I think it is helpful to be thoughtful and reflect upon what the blessings were during the pandemic for ourselves and our family. Likewise, give some thought to the particular challenges that faced you and yours. How did you cope with grief, loss, fear, stress, and discomfort?
There is an opportunity now for a fresh start, a new beginning, a chance to step back into life more fully. Even for kids who have endured this period fairly well, let’s be honest—few have thrived in the way we’d love to see them thrive. My 14-year-old would be the first to tell anyone that these past two years have been a test and that he’s ready to close the chapter and begin again. Symbolically, my son “shaved off” the last two years and seems more ready to jump back in—older and wiser. What do we need to shed? What can we let go of? What do we need to be able to grieve so that we can move forward in a new direction?
Ask yourself:
What are my favorite memories from the early pandemic?
What did you cherish about this period when we were more hunkered together and we were less scheduled?
Did this period highlight what is really important in my life?
How did I respond to stress? How did my family? How can I use this new knowledge going forward?
What do I need to shed?
What can I let go of to make room for the new?
Is there a family activity or ritual that might help us release what we need to (a creative exercise, a lighting of a candle, a prayer, joy at the beach)?
Grief and challenges abound all around us today and each day…this will continue. But, as we enter the endemic, let’s pause and recognize how we are changed.