Everyone is busy talking about 2020 as though all the problems will float away as the clock strikes midnight on 31st December, 2020.

And yet there are many places around the world that are still in a very bad way. If we move into 2021 with a vague hope of things being better we will be very quickly disappointed! So how can we kick start 2021 so that the December positivity continues into the New Year? We need to reflect on the good and bad from 2020, learn from our reflections and change our behaviour going forward!

I have spent some time in reflection and have come up with three Lessons learned in 2020 that will take me forward. Here is the first Lesson.

Lesson #1 Be Resourceful

What do I mean by this? During 2020, we were stuck at home a lot and so we had to create our own entertainment and in some cases I personally had to make the things I needed around the house.

For example, I needed a bolster to use when doing my online yoga classes – so I made one with some lovely canvas material and some old cushions and sheets.

I had to draw on skills learned many years ago to do this – I revitalised my sewing skills and made hundreds of face masks for people who needed them. I even made some Festive Masks for Christmas!

I dragged out the knitting needles to make rugs and scarfs as gifts for people.

I have also been making knitted dishcloths that can be washed and reused! They are fantastic!

I also made a toweling poncho to wear after swimming and various Christmas treats including table runners, placemats and stockings.

For food treats, we thought about our favourite café and pub food and made it at home rather than venturing out. We took treats to the park and had picnic lunches every week when the weather was good.

In terms of entertainment, we hosted our children regularly for virtual drinks and meals and had ‘picnics’ in the back yard. Then when it became a little safer to meet together we had a picnic to celebrate the birthdays for almost the whole family. Almost every gift given this year has been something homemade.

We also spent lots of time in the garden, ensuring that we had lots of fresh air and sunshine!

Kick-starting 2021

So how will I use this lesson to help kickstart 2021?

I won’t sit around waiting for the pandemic to be over. I don’t mean that I will go back to normal life and ignore the dangers. But I will start the new year by being content with my situation and by planning realistic activities to keep me busy! I will create my own busyness and happiness. I am already thinking about sewing and knitting projects for next year. We are also thinking about how to help our children as they lead their busy lives. We won’t be pining for overseas holidays because they will just not happen in 2021. We will think of new, fun ways to entertain and find new recipes to experiment with.

We will plan holidays in remote places and be active in new ways e.g. find new places to go walking, take up new exercise programs etc.

We will also continue to write our blog and hope that we help others to build a healthy household just like we are doing!

What can you do to Kick Start 2021?

You may not have a garden or you may not know how to knit – clearly, you will have your own skillsets and passions that can fuel a great start to next year. Why not try something new, do an online course, take up yoga online….. There are endless possibilities. You just need to reflect and be resourceful! Good luck!

We wish you and your family a Happy and Healthy 2021!

We hope you will join us at Helpful by Nature by subscribing to our email list. We would love to hear from you, take your questions and provide answers if we are able.

Until next time,

 

 

Gillian (and Andrew)