In Tuesday’s blog, I did a review of the book I’m reading about Michigan’s 2023 season where they win the National Championship. This despite all the battles they faced, like not being good enough to win it all. There was also the drama going on with coaches being suspended due to NCAA violations that occured at the height of the pandemic. That too could have been a distraction. In Wednesday’s blog, I wanted to talk about the some of the battles I faced during that same time period. This all coming off of a successful run in the mid to late 2010’s, which rivaled my Hempfield and HGA years (1996 to 2003).
In 2020, I battled isolation and the new normal as I had to deal with social distancing, herd immunity, masking and other new terms because of the global pandemic. All the plans I made for 2020 were dashed like that. It didn’t hit me at first but when it did, I crashed hard. I also battled the status quo in my fashion and started wearing scarves and buying bags.
2021 I battled getting older as I turned 40. I also dealt with health issues as I had to be hospitalized for high blood pressure. I also went up against change at work as we were merging with our competitor, and we lost some key faces in our office. By the end of the year, I was gone from WIS. I also encountered disappointment as my Christmas plans were dashed due to the latest strain of COVID.
In 2022, it was depression and new routines I was going up against. I started my new job and didn’t have the support system I did a year prior. I thought I found myself but alas, it was back to the drawing board. Even though the year started bad, it got better as it went on. The holidays were much better for me than the previous two years, but it still wasn’t a happy holiday for some people. I had my first paid vacation in 15 years when I took a week off in December.
In 2023, I was battling the critics and myself, as well as worry. It was a bridge year for me as well. We made plenty of visits to Children’s to see Benny that year, and I dealt with self doubt in my journey once again. But I prevailed over the haters.
In 2024, I was battling against myself once again. My way of thinking was really unnecessary and took away from some of the great times I’ve had this year. As I’ve learned to love myself and not rely so much on attention, it’s brought for me a change in attitude when it comes to my journey.
Despite all the wars I’ve been up against, I’m still here and that matters.
Stylish 🍒 