Well. 2021 has finally arrived with a boatload of expectations.  Suddenly the world was going to be a better place and all bad things would come to an end.  Have I missed something?   

Yes, Covid vaccines are slowly becoming available.  Still, too many people are getting sick and dying. 

Yes, political harassing phone calls and junk mail have ended.  The future of our country is still uncertain. 

Yes, school systems have worked out ways to keep our children’s learning process in motion.  Some students are using the pandemic as an excuse for future failures. 

Yes, we won’t see the Budweiser Clydesdales in a commercial during the Super Bowl this year.  They don’t care and they are just as happy to be home in their cozy stalls. 

Yes, our military is spending less time fighting in foreign countries.  Instead, they are needed at home to protect us from ourselves and our neighbors. 

Yes, all lives matter.  Still, some people think certain lives matter more than others. 

Unfortunately, we can’t snap our fingers and make bad things go away.  We will have to have patience to let time take its course; uphill battles take more time and energy than downhill plunges.  Having patience though does not entitle you to do nothing but wait until an outcome has been established.  Rather it means doing what you can successfully do, while letting things beyond your control at the moment, take its course.   

Instead of getting riled up by staying on social media for hours on end, try reading a book.  If you have the time to be online you certainly can spend some immersed in a good story be it fiction or otherwise.  It’s a good way to get a different perspective on things we may be taking for granted.  

Instead of bemoaning the fact that you are cooped up with your immediate family, embrace it.  Talk to your kids!  Tell them stories about when you were their age – embellish if you must.  Ask them questions and actually listen.  Work on a project together be it a puzzle, painting a room or the entire family contributing and burying a time capsule in the backyard. Get in the car and find a highway you’ve never travelled; see where it leads you! 

We can’t be sure where 2021 will lead us but we can learn from the past and plan ahead for our future.  We can’t waste time making excuses for the past.  Now is the time to step forward into our future and make it better. 

Stay safe and stay prepared. 

Sharon