Every month on the 10th, one of my favorite podcasters/bloggers/authors/inspirers, Laura Tremaine asks her followers to respond to a prompt, usually with a list of ten things. This month, she changed it up and just wants us to answer one BIG question- which might be harder!!! She asked us to consider what will never be the same after this year. 

Coming up with a list of 10 things that have been permanently altered by 2020 would be an easy task. However, boiling it down to ONE thing that really matters is TOUGH!!!! After all, nothing has been untouched by the events of 2020. From shopping and vacations to work and school, we are doing everything differently now.

If I have to choose one thing that will never be the same, though, I would have to say that my priorities are most permanently changed. Between a world-wide pandemic and my mom’s cancer diagnosis and treatment, my values and preferences have shifted tremendously this year. 

Family has always mattered a great deal to me, but after all the tumult, I can honestly say it matters more than anything else. In the past, we made time to visit my parents or meet them for lunch, but these days, our visits are much more about enjoying one another than they are about getting together to accomplish something. We have more fun and cherish each visit because we realize we can’t guarantee when the next one will be. 

My priorities for how I spend my time have changed. Because I’m much less busy than ever before- no kids’ activities, not much we can do socially- I’ve learned to spend time doing things I really enjoy rather than doing things out of obligation. I enjoy the quiet, slow evenings we have in the absence of extracurricular busy-ness. I have stopped participating in activities that don’t bring me any joy or sense of fulfillment. They just aren’t worth my time. 

Being cut off from the world and realizing that there is no guarantee of a tomorrow- these things sound terrifying and depressing, but they’ve really been liberating. I am much freer than ever before to spend my time in ways that are aligned with my priorities. This year has definitely changed that for me, and I am grateful.