2021 Wrap Up
Hello Qualitative Mind,
This blog post will wrap up 2021 (cue the fireworks)!!
This year was much harder for me than 2020 (the inaugural pandemic year), and as December comes to an end I’ve started to reflect on the things that brought me joy and gratitude in this rather exhaustive year. I’m going to share some of them with you and I hope that they will inspire you to pause, reflect, rest and, if possible, feel some peace with whatever 2021 brought for you.
I was pregnant on January 1st of 2021 and feeling tired, nauseous and excited. As my morning routines became more difficult (hello morning sickness), I slowly dropped my daily physical activity and, let me tell you, that was not good for my mental health.
When I miscarried later that spring, I coped with food and could easily see how I was eating through my sadness and sorrow. After that I learned one thing about my health and that is how much I need physical movement. I rest better, think smarter, and write more creatively when I move my body daily.
In 2021, I continued to enjoy Fit Your Life on demand and throughout the spring and summer joined their 5k running program for the second year in a row. It was lovely! I ran in the ravine close to my old house at least twice a week and celebrated each run with friends.
I would encourage you to embrace any form of physical movement as you try to move through your daily professional and personal activities. Once you start doing it, you’ll understand what the hype is all about (but please make sure you find something you LOVE rather than whatever trendy thing the world is doing)!
Reading was the other way I continued to find rest in 2021. I discovered how much I enjoy historic fiction. This past year I read a quite a few World War II novels that shared one thing in common: the incredibly courageous women they portrayed. My favourite ones were:
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
The Rose Code by Kate Quinn and
The Huntress (also by Kate Quinn)
I must say I found the turbulent war time described in those novels shared some uncomfortable similarities to the times we’re living in...it wasn’t a bad thing rather yet another opportunity for a pause and critical thinking (although sometimes not so restful, I admit).
Writing continued to be my most important form of expression in 2021. I wrote here on the blog, two chapters for two separate upcoming books, daily gratitude lists, prayers, to-do lists, you name it. Writing is something I want to cultivate in 2022 because it is a healing balm for my soul. I know not everyone here loves writing as much as I do YET I still think we can all establish small practices that support our best writing! Dr. Cathy Mazak continues to be a source of inspiration for all things writing, along with Emily P. Freeman for all things that ground me in the present.
I know I shared something rather sad and personal here, and with that I want to say how much I appreciate your trust and continued readership. I also want to say that 2021 was memorable in so many positive ways, too! Our family moved to a new home; our oldest started school; we remained healthy throughout the pandemic; and in November I was voted in as an Adjunct Professor with the Department of Agricultural, Food & Nutritional Science at the University of Alberta.
I’m open to the new adventures 2022 promises, and I wish you nothing but the best in your research and personal endeavours in the new year!
Thank you for being here and talk in 2022!
- Maira