This year, especially, has taught us many things by going through this unprecedented time. It's been the strangest year—scary and full of uncertainty for so many of us.
The fear of Covid, watching so many families lose their loved ones, being hospitalized without being surrounded by family and friends. Being asked to be socially distant, to be isolated, ordered to wear a mask to protect ourselves and others. Our churches and temples were closed, and it felt as though there was nowhere to go to worship. Our kids were asked not to go through with their graduation after they worked so hard to get there. Parents are schooling their children through distance learning. Families are stretched in every area as businesses were demanded to close their doors until further notice, and to this day, some are still closed and have lost their livelihood as well as their means to provide for their families and themselves. The destruction from the fires, protestors. Another election that continues to bring more division. I can't remember ever hearing about this happening before in our lifetime or our parents’, can you?
So, this year more than any other year, we need to come together and show our appreciation. As the saying goes, “What we appreciate, appreciates.” We need to remember to feel thankful and grateful for the many things we are enjoying. If this does not resonate with you, then this might: have you ever been without an air conditioner or washing machine? We might feel stuck, but while we have all of those amenities, we sometimes take them for granted.
These are challenging times and when our country returns to normal, we have to ask ourselves, will it be a new normal or are we going to forget all that our country has been through? We need to remember where we've all been.
As we move into November, please take a moment to give thanks for everything in your life, including your loved ones, our front lines, our police that make us feel safe, our firemen that risk their lives and our teachers that help carve out the future for our children.
Start your day in a grateful way. Just take a moment to breathe in and share what you are thankful for and do the same before you go to sleep. If you can, try to remember when you're going through a difficult time that there’s a brighter side. I would like to remind you to look for the golden nuggets—sometimes we miss those. I believe those are meant for us to learn from, but we lose sight if we don’t notice them.
Will you share your day or hoard it? Either way, only what you do will matter. How you feel only matters to you. Share your gift of today with others.
Listen to the Kim Pagano Show “The Brighter Side of Life” Saturdays, 7 to 8 a.m. at KVTA.com