The Joy of Change: Not Always Easy

I wrote the following article quite some time ago and have recently read it with fresh eyes and made some edits. It was hard to write the first time, there was so much more I wanted to say. Even the title has changed from 'Isolation' to 'The Joy of Change: Not Always Easy'. I try my best to be grateful for many things and it really has helped me over the years. Gratitude is a practice I started to implement in my life over 15 years ago and it brought me out of a very dark place.

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It has been an interesting time in the last few months, to say the least.

The effects of the virus pandemic are wide and varied. Everyone has been effected differently, but we have all been effected.

Each decision made by each individual having a ripple effect on others around them. The severity dependent on how close you are to the centre.

One business closes, many lose their jobs, they stop spending money at other local businesses. Spending money outside of your local area because businesses you once shopped at are closed, for one reason or another. Spending more time at home with people you maybe don't love as much as you once did, or worse. Maybe you're a healthcare worker and you can't see your family at all, your sleeping in a tent (or even another suburb) or in the garage to keep them safe. Close, yet so far. Nothing will ever be the same.

Others are getting jobs done at home or learning new skills. They still have a job or are being funded somehow, loving that they can order food from local restaurants and have it delivered, doing their bit for the local economy. Then there are others who are relishing in working from home and seeing the family more, being more exposed to what has been there the whole time. You will never see them the same again. Close, yet so far.

Babies are still being born, people are still dying, dinner still needs to be cooked and eaten. We are all left wondering what life will look like 'after'. There will always be an 'after' with any major event, whether it is a global event or something close to home. Change can be hard if we hang on to the past. New beginnings can bring joy if we muster some gratitude for what came before it and embrace the opportunities that have presented.

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I grieved for my country. I grieved for other countries. I grieved for family, friends and for strangers. I grieved for my freedom. I was also angry, really angry, the second stage of grief. There was a lot to unpack and process.

Gardening is a healing activity for me

I would definitely like to note that I made some new friends during this time and made more friends as a result of changes I made to my life during this time. Something I am definitely grateful for as I now have more like-minded people in my life. Being more selective about who I let into my life has added a richness money can't buy. I learnt a lot about homesteading, saw the birth of some chicks on our own property, planted fruit trees and much more. Is my life better? I like to think it is simply different, and I love it.

First Potato Harvest

There will be people who read this who will have gone through terrible loss and tragedy and by no means do I mean to make light of that. Grief looks different for everyone and I respect that. It is not linear and has no time frame. Remember to breath.

The theme of this blog was originally isolation, then change and now gratitude. Quite fitting really if you follow that process for loss of many kinds. You can feel isolated even in a room full of people. It is not a feeling of being ALONE but of feeling LONELY and disconnected. There are many more things I could talk about here but I am going to move on.

Don't look back, you're not going that way (not an Eeyore quote either by the way).