This past Tuesday was my birthday and I didn't make a huge deal about it. Well, less of a deal than I usually make. With everything going on with Covid-19 it left me not feeling much like celebrating or much less seeing the usual crowd of friends.
Just like most of you, these past two months have come with so much change and uncertainty. My normal life seemed to come to a stop with what feels like very little warning. I had to find a new routine and schedule that left me feeling fulfilled in my day. I felt overwhelmed by this task of recreating my daily life.
I started with gardening and catching up on housework. But you house can only be cleaned so much. Finally, I fell back into my art. I started with creating a drawing a day. I focused on animal drawings since I feel particularly drawn to animals since adopting our dog. I felt more connected with myself.
As things started to go back to normal, both of us back at work, I felt like the world and my life would be ok. This past Friday I lost my 9-5 job due to downsizing from loss of work after Covid. I did not panic like the first shutdown. I instantly picked back up and dove back into my art work.
This birthday was my second birthday in this new Covid landscape. I woke up like it was every other morning and tended to my coffee addiction and my little supper, Callie. My boyfriend and I laid around watching Netflix and Googling trivia to squash our debates. It was perfect. It ended with a homemade three course meal and couch snuggles with all three of us. As my birthdays keep getting calmer and smaller, the more I find I am enjoying them.
Long story short, this could easily be my best birthday. I got so in my head about what I needed to accomplish in the coming days in order to survive this career change that I forgot to relax and focus on me and all my blessings. I know many of you reading this right now are going through the same thing. You are feeling sad and are in your own head. I hope this encourages you to take a step back and try to look at things from a more positive perspective. Find great opportunities in your day and start making steps to reaching your dreams.
Love,
Carina Brandt