At the beginning of 2020 I designated the word ‘gratitude’ as my word for the year. I chose ‘gratitude’ in the interest of becoming more thankful for the minor things in my day to day life. Little did I know that three months into 2020 my daily practice of gratitude would get tested to the maximum by a national shutdown amid a global pandemic.

Many people in my life refer to the year of 2020 as the worst year ever.

2020 took an unimaginable turn and challenged us as individuals and as a society.

There is nothing that will give back our time and our energy that we lost continuously experiencing the lows of 2020, but we do have the ability to control how we reflect back on the year we’ve experienced and to take note of the list of things we should be grateful for amid this atypical year.

I’ll start.

I am grateful for the time I was able to spend with my dad. Although he was laid off from his job as a cook at a local restaurant, I never had the opportunity to spent so much quality time with him. For most of my life he would be working every Friday and Saturday night and most evenings through the week. He also misses holidays and many birthday dinners, but this year he was there for everything and I am thankful for this extra time we had together. My mom, dad and I have never had so many family dinners together in one year. For that I am grateful.

I know that not everything can be butterflies and roses, and my personal ‘year of 2020’ had some very dark and depressing times. Although 2020 was not the year I expected, I still chose to focus on gratitude.

We’re nearing the end of the year and soon to enter a new one, which may be the opportunity to press reset, take a moment to reflect and recharge the outlook on your life.

I encourage you to choose a ‘word for the year’ for 2021. Choose a word to bring with you through the highs and lows as you journey through 2021. Let this word inspire you. Let it encourage you. Let it empower you. Maybe this word sparks a new energy within, or maybe it’s a word that helps ground your emotions. Be creative. Take the time to think about this. Let words pass in and out through your mind until you decide on one that feels just right.

I wish you the best during the last couple of weeks of 2020 and encourage you to envision a bright 2021.

-Liv ✌🏽💛

Photo by Gabrielle Hendersonon Unsplash