When things look their bleakest, seeking out silver linings can restore hope.
We get it.
2020 has been bad. Really bad.
As a mom, this year has tested me to my limit. As a spouse, it’s shown me the value of finding time for the two of us. As a modern society, we’ve corporately experienced hardship, possibly like never before. And we all want to talk about it. We want to share the memes that show just how awful this year has been. We want to commiserate the losses and the hardships that have befallen us.
But what about the good? What about the silver linings? There is plenty of good to be found in 2020, and once I changed my framework, I began to see more and more silver linings in this very difficult year. In early September, I told myself to be keenly aware of the silver linings during this dark time, and I started to take notes.
- My two boys should be apart for the first time, and instead, they are laughing and riding bikes together at 10:00 a.m. on a Tuesday.
- I have a front-row seat to reading assessments, music class, and math activities. I get to watch my son and learn what kind of learner he is and how he may thrive and struggle in school.
- I get to make my husband breakfast each morning, and he gets to sit and enjoy it with our boys. We get to see each other throughout the day, communicating the details of our family life and spending moments together.
- Our work and school time starts later and ends earlier. We have a lot of extra family time sprinkled in throughout the day.
- I get to visit with neighbors I rarely saw when we were all rushing to and from work each day.
There is so much uncertainty during this difficult time. Most people are being stretched in ways they never have before. Despite all the bad, there still is so much good. In so many ways, we have been granted the gift of time, which is hard to come upon in the hustle and bustle of our modern lives. Although it can be hard to get past the immense loss we have experienced in this most difficult year, I challenge you to take a step back and take a good look at your life.
Where are your silver linings? How are you being blessed during this most difficult time?
