Finding the Positive

2020 - wow! What a year! This year has been a year of firsts and hopefully lasts. Normally, by September I would have travels to write about, adventures to relive and new friends to spend time with.

This year....while there hasn't been the opportunity to travel, there has been adventure. The adventure of what to do when you can't travel. The adventure of how many DIY home improvement tasks you can accomplish in a matter of months. The adventure of putting together new patio furniture you just had to have because, well what else are you gonna do? The adventure of being alone but finding some type of togetherness. The adventure of turning to technology to accomplish that togetherness.

The first part of the year started out as any other. Lots of work to do, both paying and volunteer. We made it through a really busy San Antonio Livestock Show, facilitating more Ag Science contests than ever! And we had fun, lots of fun! But then, the wheels seemed to fall off of 2020, so to speak.

March thru June were pretty isolating to say the least. Now you would think that for someone that has been working from for over a year, this wouldn't be a big deal. And well, at first it wasn't. But then, the quarantine seem to last forever. For the first time in, I can't even remember how long, my family wasn't together physically for Easter. That was a hard pill to swallow - no egg hunts! And after that, again more isolation.

This is where we find the positive. While I'm not a fan of technology replacing traditional face to face communication, I do have to say that technology saved the day during quarantine. Video calls became the norm - even for family time. It allowed us to see each other while staying in our homes. I think as a family, we made much more of an effort to check in on each other, to really connect and talk to each other. A behavior we will keep!

So, I thank technology for keeping us connected. But, that is not where it ends. You see, quarantine also forced me to do things I had only thought about before. I decided I had to do something with my time and found volunteer opportunities. I decided to volunteer with ACP and become a mentor to a military spouse. I also signed up to be a mentor with Amplify Women's Mentoring Circle at Texas A&M University.

This has been one of the most rewarding endeavors I have ever taken part in. Technology has allowed me to mentor others without leaving home and has introduced me to some wonderful individuals. People I would not have met any other way. Ones that I enjoy talking with, listening to and getting to know. Individuals who I count as friends.

So you see, the positives far outweigh anything else 2020 has thrown at us. While normally I would be geared up for many travels to A&M football games in the coming months, I'm ok with not doing that this year.

I encourage you, find your positives for 2020 and remember, we still have a few more months!