Day 3 - Much to celebrate, if you look closely

[Suzanne302]

I hear so many voices around me saying, “2020 sucks!” “This is the worst year ever!” “Screw this! I’m not going to live in fear!” All appropriate responses to a year that has thrown us curve ball, upon curve ball.

Friends have lost loved ones. Friends have lost jobs. And I am acutely aware of just how lucky I am.

We all thought this was going to be over in a few months, but here we are. Life will not be the same. But that doesn’t mean life has to suck, or, that we have to live in fear. Quite the opposite, 2020 has been a year of growth for me. Has it been easy? Absolutely not. But I choose to use this year as an opportunity, and not a lost cause. It’s an opportunity to evaluate what is really important to you. It’s an opportunity to expand your creativity. It’s an opportunity to learn what makes you happy. It’s an opportunity to find creative solutions to problems you never dreamed you would face. The result? You WILL come out stronger.

I began the year believing something wonderful was about to happen. Then the pandemic hit. A month or so later I had an abysmal experience with Airbnb Customer Service which was the final straw, so I put the brakes on hosting. In a dramatic fashion I swore off Airbnb as a host and a guest! At least temporarily. I love hosting so I knew I’d be back at some point.

Early this summer I decided in spite of all the craziness, I was going to continue the year the same way I started it by choosing to believe that “something wonderful is about to happen.” So, I made wonderful things happen. One business that wasn’t affected by the pandemic in my area? Real estate. It was a seller’s market and my cookie-cutter, suburban neighborhood house had no sentimental value to me. So, on the market it went. My house went under contract in four days. I’d always wanted to live in a downtown cottage with some history and character. I looked and that’s exactly what I found. And someone else had already done the renovating!

It’s amazing what a change of scenery and a little perspective will do. I’m in a dream house. I have amazing neighbors and endless sidewalks to explore with my dog Griffin. I’ve strengthened friendships. I have enough projects to keep me busy as long as any restrictions from the pandemic stretch on. Am I living in fear? Most definitely not. Nothing says lack of creativity and unwillingness to change like the person who tells me I’m living in fear because I choose not to participate in certain activities I used participate in, prior to the pandemic. I am being safe and enjoying what life has to offer. And that’s my wish for everyone who has taken the time to read this. Be safe, and live your life to the fullest!

“That’s the way we’ve always done it” is often said to be the most dangerous phrase in business. Remember, “the way we’ve always done it” isn’t the only way to do life.

*I'm not very good with a camera, but Griffin wanted me to post pics of him showing off his new home.

[Helen427]

@Suzanne302This may be of interest to you and those in Wilmington, NC from how they handled an earlier epidemic

The Fly Swat - Wilmington, NC Typhoid Epidemic in 1912

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/PBH19120502.2.27

[Helen427]

William Latimer Wilmington 1899

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NEM18890628.2.18.1

@Suzanne302  Did you know this history about the needles of trees and fabric and William Latimer in 1889 in Wilmington?

[Suzanne302]

@Helen427  Oh wow! I'm very familiar with William Latimer....The Latimer house is now the headquarters of the Lower Cape Fear Historical Society. But the patent info is new to me! How interesting!

[Helen427]

Isn't it incredible what these sage people did before us @Suzanne302  and the legacy they left for future generations?

When one stops and reflects also on the fact many women also died during childbirth or prior to the fathers of their children, girls as well as boys, growing up and raised them single handedly without the means we have today.

It's an incredible feat in an era we will, hopefully, never ever experiment.

[Trudie7]

@Suzanne302 your post is such an important reminder to not live in fear. During turbulent times, like this year, we can feel out of control & fear creeps into your mind & life...
*Fear robs you of peace & can make you a bit of a crazy person
*Fear will attack the soundness of your mind
*Fear grabs your head in a vice & fills it with negative thoughts
*We can dismiss children's fears instead of empowering them
*Fear can turn you into a control freak
*Fear issues in our life can make us micro manage everything
*Fear brings intimidation
*Fear has you running from places you are called to. Instead find a place where you can be nurtured & protected, not where you feel vulnerable. Be kind & support each other.
DO NOT BE A PRISIONER TO FEAR

[Sarah977]

"growing up and raised them single handedly without the means we have today."

I don't understand your meaning here. What "means we have today"?  There are plenty of single parents struggling to raise their children single-handedly today, it isn't some thing of the past.

[Miloud0]

Salute, 

Many thanks, @Suzanne302 for your post. It is so interesting

Thanks,
Miloud

[Catherine-Powell]

Hi @Suzanne302 I am so impressed! Carpe Diem! It looks like you have found the most perfect new home. Griffin looks like that too. I hope we can welcome you back to hosting soon but thank you for staying part of the community. Best wishes, Catherine 

[Suzanne302]

@Catherine-Powell  Being in my new home makes me really excited about hosting again! But there's just no way I can do a homeshare until Covid is under control.