Looking Ahead, Not Behind; 2020 In Review

It's been over a year and a half since I've written in the blog...sad. I don't really have a reason that I can articulate. I just haven't felt like writing. CRAZY RIGHT! I've spent the better part of the last 15 years writing one thing or another, in one venue or another, with my writing focus on this or that. But for some reason, for the longest time I haven't been inspired to put thought to paper. 

But tonight at the end of 2020, the singularly most transformative year in the lives of most people, I feel the need to get back to one of the things that I love most in the world. One of the few things in which I take solace, writing.

Little did we know when we rung in 2020 last year at this same time, that we would be facing one of the most life threatening years that our country and this world would experience. 2020 has been the year of the unexpected. We didn't expect our entire way of living to be changed by a tiny virus called Covid-19 that wreaked havoc, not only on us as individuals, but the world at large. 

The hardest part hasn't been not beeing able to go to the mall, restaurants, or hanging out here and there. The hardest part has been the lack of human touch. Hand shakes have become rare and hugs have become all but extinct. 

This time last year, I didn't think know that this would be the year that we would be privy to a front row seat in what would become the greatest test of the strenghth of democracy in the United States....the land of the free and the home of the brave. Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearing to breathe free....

Even in the midst of all that, I'm able to praise God for the blessings that He's given me and my family. He blessed me to be able to work from home when so many people had to leave their jobs because Covid 19 had shut them down, or they had to choose between going to work and staying home with their children who were now being home schooled because of the virus. In the mids of all of this, God blessed me with a promotion at my job that I've been working on for the last two years. 

But most of all, in the midst of all of this my family and I are still here! There are so many people that didn't make it to see 2021. 

I'm praising God in advance for all of the things that He's going to do in the up coming year!

I'm not going to worry you with my personal goals for the up coming year because I feel as if for the first time in a very long time my goals truly are personal. (Love you though *wink*)

As I sit in my kitchen finishing up our New Year's feast of the obligatory collard greens, black eyed peas, and fried fish, I simply want to wish anyone that happens to read this a prospersous, happy, and healthy new year. Keep your joy, the world doesn't give it and world doesn't take it away. 

And as my beloved Grandmother used to say, "Keep the good Lord in front of you!"

Happy New Year, with much love,

Pandora Esperanza

2018 The Year of "NOT"

Image Cred Belongs to Tim Okamura

Like all good bloggers probably try to do, I started writing a post for the New Year. I wanted to have it finished in time to post just before we rang in 2018, but I just wasn't feeling where my post was going. As per usual I started writing about resolutions that I wanted to undertake for the next 12 months, but I wasn't satisfied. I decided to sit on my thoughts for a little while so I could write about something that I truly believed in. I decided that this was going to be the "Year of NOT".

January 1st of any given year since I have no idea when, has probably been spent with people talking about what they were going to do, but I decided that people should make this the year of what they were not going to do.

1. I WILL NOT try to change my physical appearance for the approval of any other human being other than myself - The most commonly discussed New Year's resolution is to lose weight, get in shape, anything that has to do with changing our physical form. But ask yourself are you REALLY doing it for yourself or are you doing it for someone else? I've made a promises to myself similar to this so many times that I've lost count. On the surface I convince myself that I'm doing it for health reasons, "I just want to get in shape."etc. But in reality, I think that if I looked more like the women on the cover of magazines other than the plus-size goddess that I am, that someone will find me attractive. Don't be mistaken, I do want to be what is considered a healthy weight; however, in the past I wasn't successful because my true impetus wasn't ME! This year make whatever changes you need to, just make sure you're doing it for YOU!