Lessons From The Past

What my 25 year old journal taught me…

Over the holidays, I worked on cleaning and decluttering our basement. Not a fun or glamorous job and definitely not one I enjoy – however it was quite satisfying! I shred years worth of old paperwork, delivered donations to Value Village and even sold a few things.

In the process, I came across my old journal from when I was recovering from my car accident 25 years ago. Talk about a blast from the past!

As I read through the journal I could feel the pain and despair in my younger self... if only I could go back and show her that it was all going to be okay. At the time it felt never-ending - there were moments of hopefulness but they were quickly stolen away by a relapse. While the journal was extremely hard to read it was a powerful reminder of what I overcame, who I've become and just how far I've come.

Throughout 2020 I've mostly felt strong and optimistic (although I've definitely had my bad days) and I realised that I have the privilege of experience - having been through something like this before.

After my accident, I lost a year of school, the ability to work, my independence, friends, mobility...and the worst of all was the unknown. How well would I recover and when would I be able to get back to 'normal life'. Sound familiar?

Now instead of just one person experiencing a challenging event, we are all experiencing it together. It might be hard to see the silver lining right now but I believe there is one (or many) that we can find or create.

If hindsight has taught me anything it's that surrounding myself with amazing and supportive people, taking care of my mental health and tapping into my inner fighter were all vitally important in my recovery. I couldn't control what happened to me, but I could control how I responded. That time in my life showed me I can do anything I set my mind to.

Now that we have wrapped up 2020, I want you to know that you are amazing, you are doing amazing and you have the strength to do SO much more than you think you are capable of. I believe in you.

So consider me your cheerleader!

I wish you great success, joy and love in 2021.