Is it really that time of year again? Life seems like one big smear on my calendar since March. Yet, the New Year is upon us, whether it feels like it or not. So, true to my tradition of selecting a theme word for the year, here’s the one I’m trusting to guide me through this year:

Meanwhile…

I had no idea that my theme words for 2020, pace, progress, perspective would be so appropriate. My pace has been glacial, progress undefinable, and man, oh man, have I fought hard for perspective every day! Those three words, however, kept reminding me to move forward, no matter how bumpy the ride may be.

Yet, here we are on the cusp of a new year that holds so much promise. So why did I choose the word, meanwhile?

Help is on the way, for sure. There is light at the end of the tunnel of this pandemic. However, I’m choosing to focus not on the point of rescue, but on living fully in the meanwhile moments before it arrives.

There are two ways we can look at that tunnel.

Dark with dread,

or green with an opportunity for growth.

Uncertainty fills both, but we get to choose our meanwhile mindset.

As we long for safety, security, and normalcy (is there such a thing?) to reenter our lives, what can we do while we’re waiting that will allow us to grow?

What can we learn about ourselves and others? How can we use that to change for the better? More importantly, what new perspectives can we gain that will allow us to live in a more meaningful way? (Minimally, the word essential will be forever redefined in our minds!)

The light at the end of the tunnel may be the same, but the path through it can be lived differently. I’m going to pay close attention to how I’m living IN the meanwhile.

Granted, this is not easy or natural for me, the gal whose motto, “What’s planned is possible,” is deep in my DNA. I must admit, “meanwhile” was not the first word I considered. I was drawn toward more defiant words like “DESPITE” or “NEVERTHELESS” that would exude grit and resolve in battling the uncertainty of what lies ahead.

But what I’ve learned in this last year began to needle me, making me question my choice. Is this how I want to spend my energy, gearing up again and again for a battle with an elusive enemy? Wouldn’t it be exhausting?

Here’s what I’ve learned that prompted me to reconsider. Two things:

The more lightly we can hold life, the larger our ability is to adapt to changing circumstances.

When we squeeze life so tightly with resolve, we often choke out possibilities, the very thing that allows us to rethink and adapt.

AND:

The more lightly we can hold life, the more likely it is to grow in our hands.

Holding life lightly allows us to be open and receptive. It’s hard to grasp new things with clenched fists!

I have no idea how long this tunnel of meanwhile will last for me. Am I considered a vaccine priority because I’m at risk? Or perhaps not, since I’m non-essential and doing well in isolation? So many others have suffered far more than I have.

No matter how long this tunnel is for me, instead of going through it, I plan on growing through it. I hope focusing on the quality of the meanwhile will help.

How about you? Do you have a theme word for this year? Tell me about it. I’d love to know.

P.S. So grateful for Christmas pics that helped connect my scattered family!

Brittany, Brian, Blakely, Beckett, and baby Baxter

Peter, Meredith, and Rooney

And my sweet Madison and that lovely smile of hers!