Hello, (mid) 2021

I really wanted to start the year off with a bang. So I decided to do the aspirational - by trying to keep up with my blog. Life caught up with me, and I ended up putting it off, which is why this post is now here. I got my own domain in 2019 and did absolutely nothing with it, so this is my latest effort to not let my money completely go to waste. Despite 2020 (and most of this year) bearing mostly discord, I try to see the silver lining in everything. So here are some of my highlights from last year.

5. Let's start with some basic stuff. I am alive. For what it's worth (which is a lot in this precise era), I was not diagnosed with COVID-19 at any time, for which I am very thankful. I've had the liberty of working from home and staying indoors, and I'm fully aware that many unfortunate folk did not have the same fortuity to do so.

For those of you who are equally grateful for any surplus you may have, here's a great list of local charities and NGOs you can donate to. If you can help your community in any way you are able to - I think that would be an excellent way to keep the year going.

4. Let's be honest. It's been a tough year in business for basically everybody (except logistics in my view), and the same was true for me. But I am very thankful that I had a job, and even got the opportunity to move to a company and position that I felt was more along the lines of where I wanted to go in my career.

We're doing "PowerPoint & dranks" in this video call

Working at 2X Marketing has been a dream come true, and I honestly thought I'd never find a job that checked all the boxes for me. I'm not hounded day and night, my hours are reasonable and flexible, and my colleagues are just lovely to work with - very helpful, hilarious with puns, and can (mostly) hold their drinks. I initially wanted to keep this job and company that I found all to myself *whispering "my precious"* but in the spirit of goodwill, I encourage any of you who are in need of a stable career at this time to reach out to me. My company is hiring for all the positions below:

• Writer (Senior & Content Specialist)
• Creative Designer
• UI/UX Designer
• Developer
• Associate Director
• Client Success Director
• PPC Strategist
• Marketing Program Manager

3. I spent a lot of time working on my inner self. When there wasn't the act of going out, suddenly I found myself facing some of the worst parts of my character that I'd left neglected for too many years. I asked myself a lot of questions like, "Where is this anger from? Why do I feel this way? Is this what I want for myself? Am I in the right place for my life?" and then I had to slowly answer those with a lot of thought. More than I ever cared to do before. And at this moment, I'm definitely not perfect - but I think I've got a better sense of direction in where I want to be headed. And that was a very good thing for me.

2. I got to spend time with my loved ones. Most of it was with my family, but I was lucky enough to even catch some of my friends outside of the lockdowns. Being able to have quality time in such a way without social speculation was a dream for me. A number of my other obligations faded away with the pandemic, and that left room for the more important people in my life to fill. With so many losing their loved ones in this pandemic, I'm just grateful mine are still around. And to all my lovely friends who might be reading this, we may not be in touch at the moment, but I hope you are safe and your family is well. 

1. My nephew was born! This has to be #1 on my list. Mainly because we didn't have a grandchild in the immediate family before, and now we do! Dante is very cheeky and just turned a year old not too long ago so I'm sad/happy-crying over his early baby pictures and videos right now. If I had my way babies would never have to grow up.

Look at those little Jordan socks :')

To say that I adore him is an understatement. It's also really opened my eyes to the reality of being a mom through my sister. She is such a fighter and while I've always admired her before she was a mother, being a person who's unapologetic of her character and personality, I have incredible respect for the way she's taken on so much more in life with Dante.

And that's the end I guess. If you're reading this right now, and the pandemic has been getting you down, I hope you'll still find little things in life to be thankful for.

Lots of love,

Megan