I’ve been having a lot of conversations lately about how we are feeling as we emerge from the absurdity of the last year. The way we showed up in the world changed in an instant. The way we did business shifted, maybe forever. The way we socialized was distanced. From the first time I heard the term social distancing, I thought, no, that’s not what we need. We need physical distancing with social connections.

As I think back to the early days of last year, when we first knew that our lives would be changing, yet we didn’t know how they would be changing, I was reminded of my early days of grief. And I realized that we were going to experience grief in ways we never had before.

In my conversations about this past year, (and beyond) I’m hearing about so much grief.

Grief about what we lost.

Grief about the changes we experienced.

Grief about the unknown.

Our losses are so much more than the obvious.

Some of us lost loved ones,

And our losses extend into many layers of our lives.

The way we work, the way we connect with friends and family, the way our children attend school, and so much more.

Maybe some of the things we lost are better off gone from our lives, maybe they made space for more important endeavors.

I think it’s important to consider what we have gained. So many questions arise as I consider these for myself.

How have your relationships with your immediate family changed? What is different from the way it was before? What opportunities for creating a life you want to live presented themselves during this past year?

A new understanding of what is important.

The urgency to take a stand for those things, or make changes that align with your values.

A greater understanding of who we are and how we want to live our lives going forward.

We hear a lot about the “new normal”, what does that mean for you?

Whenever you experience a major life-changing event, there is an opening to create a new life, to change the way you show up, and respond.  Where is your life calling you?

Take some time to consider how this past year impacted you and what changes are right for you.

And take time to grieve for your losses, honoring your feelings and making way for what is emerging.