A New Way of Looking at Life

I had the perfect 10-year plan at the beginning of this year. Something I was looking forward to start working on as I ushered in the new decade. Then I narrowed it down to an awesome plan for 2020.

Life was smooth…until I got diagnosed with diabetes, just 4 days before my birthday. The diagnosis was completely unexpected as I didn’t have any overt symptoms. I had to make serious changes in my personal life and business – immediately! (This experience is a 6,000+ word story that has gone into my now-finally-being-written book).

Things settled down to some semblance of control…then came COVID! The world ground to a halt as I also learnt that my son and I were in a high-risk group (he’s asthmatic).

Shakeup as a new normal

I threw out my plans for the decade and year as we adapted to the changes demanded by diabetes and COVID. My children and I settled into new routines. Shakeups were our new normal. Life was as OK as it could get.?

Then last night, an earth tremor ‘woke’ me up.

I’ve been reflecting about last night:

The scary seconds of the tremor.
The discussions with my children and neighbours.
Calls from my family and friends.
Having to stay awake till past midnight because my son was afraid of going to bed.
Falling asleep on the sofa and dragging myself to bed when my eyes couldn’t stay awake any longer.
Waking up after 3 hours of sleep because my mind just wouldn’t shut up!
The many hours of thinking afterwards…and still thinking this morning.

We thought COVID was the worst thing that could happen. It’s definitely a big one, but there are also many seemingly small things that happen in life that shake us up.

Looking at life with a new lens

My reflection today is that life really is about appreciating every moment we have, even in the midst of the shakeups and scary times.

☑️Enjoying our relationships and building new ones.
☑️Stepping into our purpose with complete confidence…even when we don’t know exactly where it leads.
☑️Being mindful of where we put our attention and energy…then giving it our all once we’ve made our choice(s).
☑️Living life to the fullest while still taking care of our needs for today and preparing for tomorrow’s needs.

Additionally, at the core of everything is the reminder that no matter how good or bad things are, God is in control. I may like or not like what’s going on. I may be confident or scared. Maybe I’m wondering what this all means. Maybe I’m really shaken up. But as long as my trust is in God, then there’s peace in every moment, even the hard and dark ones.

Wherever you are, I hope you’re at peace.

(Image credit: Unsplash)