Pandemic – Appreciation Magic

It’s been quite the year all over the world. It may seem strange to find things to celebrate and appreciate this year, but there are many, if you look for it. I’ve made appreciating my daily habit, and often it’s for the simple things. One thing is for sure: the negative aspects of this year have brought forth huge mountains of desire and intentions for making things better everywhere.

I have often been struck this year by the creativity that’s come out of this year. The year was full of creative ways to bring television, Broadway shows, and opera to us. We could travel to museums virtually and go virtually anywhere without leaving our homes. Many TV shows got creative and still brought us their episodes or broadcasts in creative ways. I even participated in the Zoom audience at The View, a show that I always wanted to attend when I lived in NYC. It was a fun experience and the people with me were awesome. The pandemic forced us to “think outside of the box,” and for that, I’m grateful.

Even amongst all the political fighting, there’s usually someone with a sense of humor posting funny memes that made me laugh. And there’s always a dog or cat photo to make us feel warm and fuzzy. There were many heart-warming stories of people helping each other. Mr. Rogers always said in times of trouble, to look for the helpers. And that I did. There were so many helpers during the derecho that hit Iowa and my heart wanted to sing! I appreciate all who reaffirmed my belief that most people, (and especially Iowans), are kind and caring.

Speaking of helpers, I appreciate essential workers everywhere! Essential workers in health care, the food industry, the transportation industry, the delivery industry and the mail industry kept things going. Honestly no words can truly express how much I appreciate all that you do.

I appreciate all my family and friends who I met with virtually this year. I laughed so hard at our first annual virtual Clark Christmas Cookie Decorating Contest where I was one of the 5 judges. It felt like we were gathered together for the holidays. If it weren’t for this pandemic, 9 of us girlfriends probably wouldn’t have reconnected after many years of silence. I’ve known most of these women since I was 5 years old and I appreciate and love them all. I really appreciate having successful virtual Thanksgiving and Christmas with my family, too. While my daughters live in the same city and very close to me, they aren’t in my household pod, so we don’t get together. I can’t wait to get together with them again and share a meal and family time!

A special shout out and “thank you” goes to all of my Hawkeye Twitter friends! I’ve enjoyed our interactions over this year so much and cannot wait to see some of you again, and meet those that I’ve yet to meet. I appreciate that we had a football season, albeit shorter than usual, and that fans were able to see our team play on TV. I’m looking forward to a pandemic-free Hawkeye game and gatherings in 2021! And I appreciate how many kept the Iowa Wave going this year! I’m sure the children and their families appreciate you! 🖤💛

Iowa Hawkeyes Football Game

As this year comes to a close, I’m appreciative of all the scientists, researchers and medical personnel involved with the development and distribution of the vaccines. My daughters are getting their first dose today and I really look forward to the day when I’ll get mine and we can get together again. I really appreciate that I live in Iowa City with the wonderful University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. I am grateful for all the resources in my city.

Photo by Karolina Grabowska on Pexels.com

Happy New Year to all and don’t forget to look for the helpers!

We’re in a midst of a global pandemic and the news can really get a person down. Between the deaths, rising cases in the U.S., fighting over wearing a mask, loss of jobs and crowds not social distancing, it can be a challenge for us to see any positives in today’s situation.

Yet with any challenging situation, there’s an opportunity for growth. There’s an opportunity to see what’s wrong and create change to make things better. It may not seem so these days, but I have faith that we’ll all learn some lessons from this experience in the long run.

Learning to find what’s going right each day is an exercise in creating more appreciation and joy in your life: even during this pandemic. So, I thought I’d give a short list of some things I see and feel these days and invite you to consider making the practice of truly appreciating what is going right in your world daily. My list is by no means exhaustive. Here’s a taste of appreciation for you!

I appreciate getting up everyday. I appreciate the sun shining and the birds singing. I am so appreciative of the food in abundance in my kitchen. I appreciate the summer so I can take walks during this time. I appreciate the variety of masks I’ve gathered for my time outside my home. I appreciate the advice of the medical community during this pandemic. I also appreciate all the people who are working to keep things moving: in the hospitals, grocery stores, pharmacies and restaurants. I appreciate the creativity of places to come up with alternative ways of doing business. I appreciate Zoom and WhatsApp that help me stay connected with people near and far. I appreciate all the books available for me to read or listen to!

I appreciate my two cats who provide a lot of entertainment during this time. I also appreciate some of the movies I’ve seen on TV. I really loved seeing Hamilton recently and appreciate that it was made available for us to see. I appreciate all my Hawkeye Twitter friends, who provide an endless supply of fun and I love their cooking pictures! I can’t wait until the day when we can all get together for a tailgate and share some of them! And in this extremely hot, humid weather, I appreciate having air conditioning!

So that’s my short list for today. If the news is bringing you down, it helps to just turn it off and give yourself a rest until you can get yourself into a better state of mind. Appreciating routinely will help you do that. What and who are you appreciating today?