Cheers to the Year!

2020 is almost a wrap! Move on to 2021! This year has been the worst…or has it?

This week’s word is cheerfulness. Looking back on this year, it may seem that there wasn’t a whole lot to cheer about the year. But then, it’s all about your perspective, isn’t it?

Perspective

Cheers to the year my son got married. It was wonderful! He was able to have a wedding and some guests. He gained a wife and a daughter. –That’s something to cheer about. My niece got married, too. Hers was a small intimate wedding, not what she imagined, I’m sure. It was just immediate family, but I bet she is happy. Another niece just had a baby. Life-changing. I doubt they tell you that this was a bad year. After the political comedy show we had, you might be pretty happy to see another guy in the White House. It’s all in your perspective and what you choose to focus on. What can you cheer about this year?

You might be thinking that it was awful to be quarantined or off work for 2 weeks. Some people probably needed the break. I know I appreciated some time off. I was able to work from home. Some of us got a stimulus check to help with bills and other stuff. I had an emergency fund in case my money ran out, or I didn’t get paid.

Planning

This year was about planning for the unexpected. It was a year of self-evaluation. This year we stopped to think about what is really important in our lives.–At least I did. 2020 made me look at my life and get rid of some things I could do without. It helped me focus a little more on my relationship with God. Some people focused on losing weight. –Cheers!

This year made me grateful for the time I got to spend with close family. It helped me appreciate the simple hellos from neighbors and checking on them to see how they were doing. It made me evaluate the times I used to go to work sick or with a cold. I never thought about how easily I may have passed on my sicknesses. I wash my hands a little more frequentlythink differently now.–Cheers!

Have you found it hard to be cheerful? Are you a glass is half-full or half-empty kind of person?

Try Something New

One of my favorite TV shows from the past was Cheers! A show about people hanging out in a bar in Boston. The theme song itself is classic. “You wanna go where everybody knows your name.” I loved how every time someone familiar came through the door of the bar, everyone shouted their name as a welcome. It makes me smile, just thinking about it. Wouldn’t that be fun at your house? Whenever you walk through the door, family members shout your name with beaming smiles, happy to see you arrive.

Let’s try that for the holidays! I’m sure it will put us all in a cheerful mood. We don’t have to hug or shake hands, just yell out their name and tell them how happy you are to see them. What if we did that while we were out and about town? See someone you know from a distance and shout their name! Start a conversation.

Think Outside the Box

Christmas may look a lot different this year at your house. But thank goodness we have the technology to Zoom, FaceTime, etc. Think outside the box. Send your gifts to family members ahead of time and then do a Zoom opening them together. Drink a glass of wine together and cheer to the New Year. We can still communicate. Be cheerful about the fact that we are still alive by the grace of God. Many of us lost loved ones this year. Make the best of the life you still have by waking up everyday with a cheerful attitude, even in the worst circumstances. Spread joy wherever you can. We all need a good dose of joy and hope.

Wrap It Up

Let’s put a different spin on the end of 2020. Approach it with a positive perspective. It’s on it’s way out! Let’s have some cheers for the year! On its way out the door, welcome in the New Year with hope for the end of this pandemic. Let’s turn off the negative media and begin to heal our communities with cheerfulness and love for each other once again.

You see, it’s all in your perspective. You have to make a conscious effort. Schedule it on your calendar. Plan it for your day. Practice it for 21 days till it becomes a habit. When you change your habits, you will change your life.–for the better. Cheers to 2021!

God bless.–Barb