Fresh Start:

From COVID-19, climate disruptions, the killing of George Floyd, the bad blood between countries, to a declining economy, riots and protest, unethical acts from our leaders, to an impeachment trial within our own democracy and a new president. 2020 was thus far the most chaotic year I’ve lived in my entire life. Not only has it changed lives by bringing relationships closer, while others failed to embody love and unity during quarantine, it also caused many of us to take a long hard look at the reality of our situations. To some it brought joy and happiness, to others it brought challenges and struggles. Whether rich or poor, from different nationalities to blended cultures, every living soul felt some type of the 2020 effect in their lives.

The impact of its existence left sour tastes and resentment in the mouths of many and it left experiences and lessons to those forced to accept the effects of what came with that year.

For me, a fresh start from 2020 is a little personal. Besides worrying about my family and I getting Covid-19, and advocating for equality and justice for my community, my home was starting to feel the sadness of news that my mom has stage 3 lung cancer. Just recently, the appearance of her health began to flaunt its true colors. No one ever wants to think about loosing their mom, but for me, facing the harsh reality was the first step into diving into my new years resolution for this new year and more to come.

We often forget the importance of family, love and unity. We get so caught up with life that sometimes we put our health in the back burner and forget to make time for our loved ones. This has become far too much of a normal state of life for many of us. But, as I stated earlier with the pandemic and everything else that has gotten wrong we don't have the luxury of wasting time, because you never know when it will be your time or someone close to you to leave this plane.

So, moving into 2021, I will return to the way things were meant to be, which is from a place of love.

My new years resolution is going to consist of more “I Love You’s”, more face to face visits, more phone calls, more texts, FaceTimes chats, and more appreciation for those I call family, friends, and my community. My goal is to keep teaching my children the value of the simple things in life and how that can go a long way to building healthy relationships. I will also stress the importance of self-love as well as loving others. I feel it’s important to keep reaching out to my community, volunteering in food banks, and community centers that strive to meet the needs of the people.

Being isolated from our families and friends made me realize that at any given moment our lives can change, how much we actually take for granted, and how much we ignore what’s important and praise vanity. Moving forward, I’m going to become more active in stressing the importance of spending time with family and friends, active in serving and helping my neighbors and community achieve their goals in providing a safe , positive, productive environment for our babies to grow and develop. Although I know that moving forward, my hardships are far from over, I will do my best to keep an open mind and become the change I want to see.

I will do my best to be that glimmer of light that destroys the darkness that has hung over us for the past 12 months. But, most importantly I will love and love hard. I will treat others as I want to be treated, I will not be wasteful, selfish or self centered, I will not get caught up in the world of me, but instead learn to understand and appreciate the value everyone brings to the table of life. With a clean slate, I’m going to restart, recharge, re-program and rejuvenate my life and the lives of everyone around me.