Moving Forward

My two-year-old grandson came for a visit last weekend.  While he and I were playing outside in his wading pool, he decided to throw some of his toys into the big pool right beside his little pool. The reaction on his face when the toys landed in the big pool said, “Oh no! …. Now what”?  He knows the water in the big pool is deep and because he has not learned how to swim yet, there is potential danger if he jumps in by himself. So, he held tightly to me as he and I entered the big pool together to retrieve his toys.

This experience started me thinking about you and me during the season of life we are currently living, the pandemic to be specific. 

Our state (Florida) is beginning to open back up after a two-month closure. Our beaches, parks, restaurants, fitness centers, salons, and many retail establishments are once again open for business.  When the news of this re-opening was announced, it brought much excitement for many people, while for some this announcement brought potential danger.

Over the last two weeks I have had conversations with people who are feeling pressured into getting back out. Salons are open, hair styles need tending to, but it still feels like potential danger. Restaurants are open and the thought of going out to dinner or lunch with friends and family sounds like a wonderful experience, but it still feels like potential danger. Overall, the thought of resuming activities that once felt safe, now feels like potential danger. Sort of like what the big swimming pool felt like to my 2-year-old grandson.

I ask you for a moment to reflect back upon the time in your life when you learned to go under water, or learned to swim or entered into the deep end of the swimming pool for the first time.

My guess would be that if there were a group of us who shared this reflection about our life, there would be many different stories.

The truth is, we all learned to go into the deep end of the pool, go under water, or learned to swim at different ages and under different circumstances. We all had different reasons for hesitating or had fears of what might happen if we took the plunge.

Today, I want to encourage you and remind you that we all change and make decisions to take the next step forward in different timelines.  Some of you may already be out and about, participating in all there is to offer right now.  While some of you are going at a slow and hesitant pace to venture back out.  I believe there is no right answer as each one of us know what is going on in our own lives and with our own thoughts. Our comfort, cautions, and hesitations are all different and no one else can make the best choices for our lives.

With this message of encouragement, I would also like to challenge you to continue to look forward and make the steps forward that seem logical and reasonable for you today. Don’t let go of your dreams or goals though! The Covid virus will pass and will be a history lesson for the generations to come. Take steps toward the desires you had before Covid 19 or the dreams you have created during this time. Take steps forward, even if they are baby steps!

Your life matters!

Tammy

Need some extra encouragement? I would love to have a conversation with you!

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