Sarahritchie17 Each year around Thanksgiving, I reflect on the blessings in my life and write down 10 things that I’m thankful for. And though this year has been a tough one, there are still many things to be grateful for. Here are my 10 this year.
1. The challenges brought by uncertainty.
I know this one sounds like a bad thing, but hear me out. The uncertainty of 2020 has really pushed us to think outside the box. To think of new possibilities and ideas. It has challenged us to reflect on what really matters and how we want to be spending our time. When things are uncertain, you realize that if you can go into tomorrow not knowing what is going to happen, then maybe, just maybe, you can take the leap of faith that you’ve been afraid to. When it seems like everything is out of control, you focus on the things you can control and you re-evaluate if they are things that bring you joy or drain you. For me, the uncertainty of this year has brought me courage and clarity to pursue a dream that I’ve always held myself back from.
2. The push to reconnect.
This year, I’ve made more phone calls to friends and family than ever before. I’ve had fantastic conversations and spent hours catching up and laughing about old memories with high school friends. I’d never thought to do a virtual Happy Hour over Facebook Messenger video chat or taken the time to help my grandparents learn WhatsApp video calling. While the pandemic has challenged us, creative solutions have empowered us to stay connected with our loved ones and reconnect with the ones we got too busy to stay in touch with.
3. Staying safe during hurricane season.
2020 was a record-breaking storm season. Eight named storms made landfall in the Gulf Coast this summer and fall, devastating homes from Texas to Florida. With Louisiana in the forecast cone at some point for each one, it is a wonder that New Orleans never got hit really hard. I am so thankful for the safety of me, Eddie, our apartment, and our belongings. Natural disasters can take years to recover from, and I keep all the communities affected by this storm season in my thoughts and prayers as they continue to rebuild.
4. A successful first year of Genuine Sunshine Blog.
I can’t believe my blog is almost a year old already. I published my very first post on December 10, 2019. It was called 10 Things I’m Thankful for – 2019. I went into the year with the intention of creating and sharing content that I thought could help other people, and while I may not have a million readers yet—more like 238 — I am so thankful for the audience that I do have. It doesn’t matter to me if I’m serving 10 people or 10,000 people. I’m thankful for my creative output. At the beginning of this journey, I doubted weather I could think of enough ideas to write about week after week for years to come. This is my 48th blog, and I have a list of about 50 others that I believe are topics that add value. I am thankful for forcing myself to sit down and reflect and write nearly every week for the past year, that I have a beautiful website to show for it (thank you Bluehost and WordPress), and that I have ideas to keep going and keep growing.
5. The opportunity to pursue my purpose.
My purpose in life is to serve others by saving lives. Since the first day I found out what the Coast Guard was, I wanted to be a Coast Guard helicopter pilot. But for years, I’ve let excuses and fears hold me back from pursuing that dream. This year, I finally shut them down and applied for flight school. I was scared through the whole application process. What if I wasn’t medically qualified? What if I wasn’t good enough? It honestly took a lot to put myself out there and live with the fear of getting rejected from my dream job. They say that if your dreams don’t scare you, they aren’t big enough. I started the application process in March. In June, they told me I might not be medically qualified. In September, they told me there was another flag in my record. At the end of September, they told me I was qualified to apply, and in October, I got selected to attend flight school. It’s an opportunity I’m so grateful for and don’t take for granted for a second.
6. Having a stable job.
Being a Coast Guard Officer in 2020 gave me not only job security, but also meaningful work. I was able to support five Incident Management Teams that responded to the COVID-19 pandemic and Hurricanes across the Gulf of Mexico this year. While it was a lot of long days and extra weekend duty, I knew I was serving an important purpose, and the work felt rewarding. I worked with incredible people and earned so much more than my paycheck—I gained valuable experience and an inspiring network.
7. My health and safety.
I would be remiss not to mention that I’m thankful for my health and safety in 2020. I am blessed to not have high-risk factors for COVID-19, to have a secure job, to have the capabilities to telework, to have a roof over my head, to have security where I live, to not fear for my life when I interact with police, and to be able to walk around a store and not be followed. My eyes are open to things I may have taken for granted in the past.
8. Vulnerable conversations about race in America.
And along those lines, I’m thankful for the tough conversations we’ve had this year. The ones that have opened our eyes and challenged us to see life from someone else’s perspective. The conversations we tend to avoid because they’re uncomfortable. I’m thankful for the challenge to break out of our comfort zones and have the vulnerable discussions of our weaknesses and how we can grow together so tomorrow can be better. I’m thankful for those who are focused on humanity because I believe the greatest learning comes from each other.
9. The innovative ways that businesses are pivoting to protect their customers.
I’m thankful for innovation this year, for the companies who have taken a chance and made a pivot to provide for not only their own success but also for their customers. I’m thankful for all the small businesses who have stepped up and overcame the challenges they’ve faced this year. I’m thankful for the organizations and companies that have made it safe and sanitary for me to travel this year when my family needed me most.
10. The start of a new chapter.
Lastly, I’m thankful for the start of something new. I’ll be headed to flight school at the beginning of 2021, and I’m so excited to have a fresh start in the new year. I know that the problems and challenges of 2020 won’t all of a sudden end on December 31, but it will be nice to feel like I can turn the page and move to the next chapter of my life. It’s been something for me to look forward to. This chapter of my life has been all about learning how to adult, figuring out what I’m made to do, and gaining clarity on what really matters to me. It’s been full of growth and challenge and success and failure, but I’ve got a feeling that the best is yet to come.
I challenge you to reflect on the things you are most grateful for this year. Can you come up with a list of 10? If that feels overwhelming, what are your top 3?
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Cheers!
Sarah