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One Year Later: We’ve Come a Long Way Together.

It’s been a year. We’re still wrapping our brains around everything that’s transpired, but we can safely say with all of the challenges we’ve faced, we’ve also experienced some real positives. You know, the good with the bad.

We’ve spent some time reflecting on what we want to carry forward with us, and here’s where we landed.

What’s one positive thing you’ve taken away from the past year?

“Just because our lives have transitioned, remote-style, does not mean that opportunity has shut down. Living in my own virtual bubble, I often get this feeling that I am like a little duck, paddling through marshmallow goo. I feel like I am doing a lot of stuff, but I don’t always see the impact of that stuff. I realize now, after a whole year of remote living, that those efforts are landing somewhere. They aren’t just living out in cyberspace. So, don’t forget you can make progress in this virtual world and it does not go unseen. Your efforts have made an impact on someone and have most definitely made an impact on your professional trajectory. Open yourself up to opportunity!” – Trisha Kangas

“I’ve never spent as much time alone with my thoughts in my life, and at first, this was an uncomfortable experience. I’ve since learned a lot more about myself, I’ve sought outside support, identified my goals and bad habits, and focused on relationships with people I’ve let social media companies dictate how to interact with for far too long. I’ve learned a lot, and I think I will come out stronger because of it.” – Mike Taylor

“I’ve shared fences with several of my neighbors for years, but until we were all stuck at home with nowhere to go, I’d never had more than a quick “hey, how’s it going” chat with them. Now, I can say I know my neighbors and have found a real sense of community built from across our fences. We’ve commiserated, checked in on each other, and shared with each other (thanks again for the extra toilet paper, Mark!). I’ll always appreciate that positive during this really difficult year.” – Becca Stich

Some wisdom from our Instagram followers:

“Never take a day of ‘life as we know it’ for granted!” – @maddy.whitethorn

“Resilience” – @karen.cuda

“I learned that you can’t just quit. You have to keep going.” – @soccergirl20202020

“This too shall pass.” – @nn_tania

“There is a season for everything.” – @megan_gratzer

“Community matters.” – @r4photo

Ah the pandemic year. We’d never want to repeat it, but we certainly have grown from it.

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