A few of my favourite things
One of the approaches to get through this pandemic you have probably heard about, is gratitude. If you haven't, you can read more about it in the book ‘The Gratitude Project’. The practice of gratitude is shown to be quite beneficial during times like this.
Since the beginning of 2020 I started bullet journaling on a regular basis, and one of my recurring sections is a reflection on one thing I'm grateful for each day.
I’ve found it helpful to keep perspective - there's at least one good thing that happens on a daily basis, even on the most terrible days. If you seek, you shall find! I would like to share with you some of the moments that I have experienced and that in no particular order:
• Watching the weather change from snow to hail to rain to sunshine in a matter of hours, reminding me that the only thing we can be certain of is change.
• Being able to share the occasional walks and talks on campus with colleagues, giving me a sense of how it used to be.
• Hearing about the work some professors put into creating an excellent educational experience for students, being open to feedback and dedicated to continuous improvement.
• Discovering the self-discovery journeys students have been on during these times. Learning about themselves as people (not just students), about society and how they fit into it, what they are capable of, what their limits are and what gets them excited despite the struggles they encounter.
• Committing to find a diet that works for me after the Netflix documentaries Game Changers, Seaspiracy and Cowspiracy are leaving me fewer and fewer food options.
• Having a fun, engaging socially-distanced team offsite with an amazingly wonderful team.
• Being reminded of the time my partner planned for us to do a bike ride around Eindhoven and the look on his face after we got our bikes and I told him I didn't know how to ride a bike (I was joking).
• Receiving an outpour of support and words of wisdom from my colleagues, team and leaders after I received some devastating news. As one of my colleagues told me: as long as you're alive, there is still hope for things to get better.
It certainly hasn't been an easy few months. But wouldn't you know: I actually do feel better after sharing this with you.
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