Whoosah! This is an exhale. My exhale represents the highs and lows of a year that has served unprecedented unpredictability as it draws to a close. My reflection about the year comes from a very important space – gratitude. I am grateful for so many things, too many to list, but at the very core I’m grateful to be among the living. While the memes on social media provoke laughter about much of the drama we’ve experienced, there’s one thing you can’t deny, we’ve experienced trauma, too.

There’s been loss of life, jobs, homes, relationships, and finances. And if none of these have reached you specifically, you, too, have experienced loss. All of us have worried about or questioned if we – or someone we love – will get infected during this pandemic. For the first time in my short life, everyone has lost a sense of certainty, regardless of who they are. Whether you know it or not, we are all in this together.

As in years past, there are people talking about putting the year behind them – setting new goals, planning for change, and announcing who or what they will discard from their lives. If you think about it, this is no different from any other year when people plan to put pain, hurt, fear, mistakes, or trauma behind them. What’s different this time, is many are planning for the things they want to put back in their lives – the desire to eat in a restaurant, dress up, go to work or out on a date – or some of my favorites travel, go to the movies or a concert, and visit with family and friends, and do so without fear. If we’re not careful, our memories, or what we think we’ve lost can play tricks on us.

To become the best version of yourself, you will need to take inventory of the facts and fiction called your life. Were you happy? Supported? Thriving and at peace? Were you hurting? Stressed? Pretending? Forcing it? You don’t have to tell me, or anyone else for that matter. You know. I simply encourage you to do an honest assessment of the realities that exist before you open your mind, heart, arms, or the door to let whatever or whoever it is back in.

You don’t need a new year to put positive things back in your life – just a new moment. While some things are on hold, others like joy, peace, and faith are not. You want something back in your life? Go get it!