Hello Lovelies,
I wanted to offer my reflections for the new year. I hope you and your loved ones are well and safe. <3
Looking back... all I see is how incredibly lucky my family and I have been, and I'm grateful. 2020 had so many horrible things happen to so many people. There's an ingrained belief in our culture, within the "American Dream" narrative, that anyone can do well here, that poverty is the fault of the poor. That narrative needs to die. Especially when one instance of bad luck- an illness, a natural disaster, a job loss... puts a family into bankruptcy and/or out on the streets. My family has been insanely lucky through this past year, and for that I'm exceedingly grateful. I'm grateful to the doctors and nurses, first responders, last responders, and everyone teaching, modelling, and enforcing safety guidelines. I'm grateful to the people who have kept society running, essential workers who SHOULD BE PAID not just a living wage, but a thriving one, because we can't function without them- grocery store workers, warehouse and delivery folks, sanitation workers, utility workers, educators, and caregivers.
For me personally, the lockdowns have forced me to stop dead and reevaluate where I put my time and energy. I'm an extrovert, and an over-achiever with a bad case of "Helium Hand" in the organizations I belong to. Pre-Covid I was out socializing, practicing, or volunteering every weekend and most week nights. I was constantly doing too much. Well, too much for me and what I can reasonably handle, and I neglected my own needs and goals. The lockdowns changed all of that. Suddenly all of that stopped and I was, and am, forced to take care of myself and focus on what I actually want in a way I never had before. That part of all of this has been good for me. I'm taking care of my mental health and learning what my needs are in order to surf the chaos and thrive when things are uncertain. My focus has narrowed away from all of the running around and I've been able to pour my energy into virtual teaching for the museum, my artwork, and looking after my family.
Looking forward... I miss my friends and the rest of my family, and I'm looking forward to the day it will be safe for us to Gather close again. In the meantime I'm going to keep painting for Drawing Down Lore, keep creating resources for parents with little ones, and keep looking after my household. Every New Years I set goals for myself and choose a word that ties them together. In 2019, the word was Discipline. In 2020, it was Focus, coincidently. My word for 2021 is Energy- building, managing, and directing it. This has been an exhausting year in a string of exhausting years, but this one topped them all. So I wish you energy. Energy to keep going when you want to give up. Energy to rebuild if you need to and make the changes you want to see- in your own life or out in the world. I wish you the energy you need to get through the day. Rest if you need to, its ok to take a break, but please don't give up.
IO Elpis. Happy New Year, Lovelies. I love you.
Blessed Be,
Kerry Mairie
