If I were to summarize how I thrived the past year, it would be the 3Hs – Health, Humor and Hope.
What hit upon our family in the already difficult year, on July 20, 2020 was a water accident that flooded the downstairs of our home. This incident, forced us to rip out our kitchen, bath, floors. With shelter in place in effect and being fearful of relocating for the duration of construction, we decided to stay put and allow construction, insurance, emergency services crew to come in and carry out their work. This is also the time when the four of us worked/schooled from home with a make shift kitchen & tons of packed boxes.
The next six months that followed, was a journey of breaking down but lifting our spirits up, laughing at the irony of not able to maintain social distancing within home, preserving our physical, mental and emotional health. Even if the grumpy teen frowned or the little one cribbed, I reminded them to get outdoor and get fresh air. The adults, we got on each others nerves more than ever but also gave space to each other. We formed our own routine for getting runs, biking, zoom work outs – almost oblivious to all the dust, sounds of sawing, drilling and smells of paint, wood. The best solace on some days was that we all came together amidst the demolished floors and packed boxes to warm up any takeout food that satiated our soul. Our deep social connections amped up and we felt blessed for our near and dear ones opened up their hearts, homes and kept us fed, kept us hopeful. They cracked jokes and we laughed together at all our silly adventures of getting through the construction days. My coworkers patiently accommodated me stepping away to tend to the house work or materials drop off. Those around us kept reminding us that when it’s all done, we would have a brand new home.
As hoped, our renovation is almost done and we ushered in the new year staying home. We are so grateful we got this far, holding on to our family tight close through all our emotions. I sent a prayer this new morning to fill us all with lot more health, hope and humor in upcoming days. Happy 2021!
Thank you for taking time to read this and I would urge you to share with me your learning on how you are thriving in these times. Perhaps with this sharing, we will come out of it with renewed energy that quantum leaps us forward.
