Well, we’re a month in and I don’t think 2021 is going to be less weird than 2020.

It might be a “different brand” of weird, but I still think it’s going to be weird, I still think the news is going to be stressful, I think we’re still going to get current events that make us collectively go “wtf”. I mean, did you see the Gamestop verses Wall street news of last week? Oh, we aren’t done. I don’t think it’s going to be a forever thing, but times of unrest don’t magically go away, government doesn’t magically change, pandemics take a long time to wrap up. We are still in the trenches- and that is surprisingly starting to stress me out less.

Maybe I’m adapting to my environment. Maybe this is the new normal everyone talked about. I don’t know. I don’t love it, I’m not going to pretend I do, but my heart is starting to rejoice in the things I can control. It is slowly but surely finding it’s new true north and helping me work through the rest. I’m finding my peace not reliant on the worlds peace.

It hasn’t been an easy thing to find. I’ve felt more stress this year than I have in any other ones, and I’m going to be honest 2020 was not in the top three worst years of my life. The stress, however, was certainly on a different level. It comes from not having control but desperately trying too. I haven’t given up completely. I’m still grasping at straws, but I’m searching inward not outwards. I’m focusing on my responses rather than the worlds. I’m focusing on what I can do to make these times better for me, for my loved ones. It’s given me control of something, and for now, that’s going to have to be enough.

The truth is- I think through our life there will be a lot of “new normals” both as a society and on a personal level. We have to learn how to adapt, and the only way to do it is to make peace with something. Of course we should all start small. I’ve never been one of those called to change the world- I’ve been called to help my little pocket of it. And that’s okay. God and I have spent a lot of time talking that over. It’s also a very important calling. So here I am, chipping away at the things that are in my control, and urging you to do the same.

I’m not saying to give up on the world or to want the madness to end. I’m saying to simply start small and work your way up. We are of no use to anyone when we can’t take care of ourselves. There are multiple levels to this, and we have to work up the right way.

So please, take a deep breath, you knew 2021 wasn’t going to magically make everything better! Time is something we set to dates. The suns cycle could be considered complete on a different day if only we started watching on a different day. So, if you, like me, have worked through the fact that this year isn’t different than the notorious 2020 to the world, lets reach to make it feel different to us.