As a working mom of three little kids, the pandemic has been a really challenging time for me. I lost my mom to breast cancer just a few months before the pandemic hit, and still felt like I was grieving that huge loss. Then I purchased my childhood home from my dad, who moved from being five minutes down the road to all the way across the state, and we moved within our town on the same day schools shut down. 

As a self-employed social media consultant to nonprofits and small businesses, part of my income quickly dried up when the pandemic hit; my husband was furloughed from his job in the restaurant industry. But thankfully lots of new clients gained a new appreciation for the power of social media to connect with their customers so my business quickly bounced back even stronger than before, and my husband ended up switching companies to a job he liked even more.

I've always been pretty good at prioritizing self-care and carving out time in my day for exercise and healthy meal prep. But the pandemic really challenged that, with kids home all the time and needing help with online school. 

I made it an even bigger priority to start almost every day with a walk, run or yoga class on YouTube. Having more time to cook gave me the chance to try new healthy recipes. And having some extra time in my workday actually helped me take a mental inventory of the type of work I truly enjoyed, and what just wasn't working for me any longer.

I made sure to tune into online church every Sunday morning from the couch, cuddling under a blanket with my kids and a cup of coffee. And I scheduled regular Facetime chats with friends and family.

I recognize that this has been an incredibly difficult time for so many of us, and I am also truly grateful for the perspective on my life that has come out of the pandemic. Life is way too short not to savor as much of it as we possibly can!

-Kate