​ 
One of the hardest things I’ve ever done was to reach out for help.
 
One of the best things I’ve ever done was to reach out for help.
 
For years, I hid my pain from others.
 
Shame silenced me.

Welcome to 2021! I don’t know about you, but I’m glad that 2020 is now behind us. It was definitely a tough year. 

For many people, seeing the calendar change to January 1st means a chance to reset. To start over. To set new goals. To make lists of things you want to accomplish this year.
 
Back in 2015, instead of making lists and resolutions, I decided to focus on ONE WORD for the entire year.  

​On January 1, 2020 so many of us had hope, excitement, and anticipation of what the new year would bring. We made plans, set goals, and dreamed about how 2020 would be better than 2019. We said, “Happy New Year!” to each other and truly meant it.
 
And then March 11th happened.
 
The World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic, and 2020 suddenly looked very different than how we imagined it a few months earlier. 

​Because of a global pandemic, I have spent a lot of time at home the past 5 months. I’ve read numerous books, listened to countless podcasts, completed several puzzles, spent hours on Zoom, watched way too much Netflix, and I even took 3 months of online guitar lessons. 
 
While everyone else was ordering toilet paper and Clorox wipes online, I decided to order my first Paint By Number canvas. There are hundreds of beautiful paintings to choose from. The concept seems simple – match the numbered paints to the numbered areas on the canvas.
 
The company’s website says, “Relieve stress and reveal your creative side.” Apparently, lots of other people were also feeling the stress of the pandemic, because sales on their website drastically increased and it took over 2 months for my canvas to arrive.

​As my students lined up at the end of the day on March 12th, I reminded them, “Remember to study your spelling words tonight. Tomorrow we’ll learn a new cursive letter and we’ll continue working on our famous American project.”
 
As they left our classroom, they smiled and each one gave me a hug, handshake, or high five. “Have a great night. See you tomorrow,” I said.
 
At the time, we had no idea that we had just spent our last day together in our classroom. We had no idea how much we would miss a “normal” school day.