2020 has arrived and I am thankful that I made it to a new year/new decade in good health, still living in my amazing apartment, and with some money flowing into my bank account from one of my freelance sales gigs. I was and still am ready to make 2020 my comeback year! However, God, per usual, had other plans; as Woody Allen stated, "If you want to make God laugh, tell him about your plans.”
On January 26th, 2020, the world went into immediate shock and mourning after learning that we lost one of our beloved, amazing basketball players, Kobe Bryant & his daughter Gianna to a horrific helicopter crash in California. This news quickly devastated everyone around the world, and a lot of us, me included, could not and still cannot make sense of it. His loss has taught us the value of now, the importance of letting your loved ones know that you love and care for them, and of course not taking anything or anyone for granted. I tried to move on from his loss after watching his beautiful public televised memorial on 2/24/20, but as they say bad news usually comes in 3's.
The last week of February we, the American people were informed of a virus that was effecting China in a very fatal way. While the President was trying to inform us that he does not believe that this virus would come into the United States, that is exactly when it began to trickle in without us having much knowledge about it. The Corona Virus (COVID-19) began to make its way into the United States aggressively from Wuhan, China, and as the number of cases began to rise quicker than we expected in the beginning of March, we were and still are been inundated with so much negative, anxiety triggering news surrounding this pandemic.
This has caused a high level of stress and panic to many people around the world, me included. Now that we have been summoned to work from home, practice social distancing, and to remain quarantined at home away from any social gatherings, we are forced to take a real good look at ourselves, the lives we live, & find creative ways to connect with friends and family. Essentially, what was intended to create a divide due to social distancing, actually brought us together and is giving us a pathway back to ourselves.
So the questions to ponder upon during this time are:
- Will you be the same person that you were before this pandemic?
and
-During this time, are you working towards becoming a better version of yourself?
It's Not How You Start, but It Is How You Finish
As you all now know, I have been working from home since last year, therefore I smoothly transitioned into this new "work from home" rule that everyone who is considered a "non-essential" business has been commanded to do in order to stop the spread of this virus. This has been a wake up call to many, making them realize how the companies they work for could have let them work from home more than they were told they could, and also opened their eyes to see how their companies treat their employees during a crisis. Due to these realizations, many have been tapping into their talents, creatives are creating and sharing their gifts with the world, and people are finding amazing ways to have us all feel connected. People such as myself are also finding new ways to bring in streams of income.
This pandemic in many ways is the reset button that many of us needed; I know I definitely needed it! We have been blessed with the opportunity to essentially start over, especially if we were let go from our jobs during this time. I am a firm believer that God does not make mistakes. What He allows to happen may not always be in a package that we expect, nonetheless, it has happened because He knows we can handle it. There is not one thing that I have been through this past year that has proven otherwise; I am strong, I am resilient, I am successful in my own right, and I am blessed. All of these characteristics of me may not show up in ways that I or other people would expect, however it still does not negate the fact that I am these things and my adversities has proven that to me more than ever.
I am unsure how this year is going to pan out due to the new normal we are now being conditioned to due to COVID-19. What I do know is that trouble is inevitable, but living in misery, is optional. There are and were many challenges that was presented to me that was intended to derail me, make me take several steps backwards, and ultimately make me extremely depressed. However, Myrna Levelt Datilus is not built to fail. I am and have always been made to be a driven, resilient, relentless, success driven individual that does not quit. All the adversities that have come my way was meant to further strengthen me during my journey towards the success I am meant to have. With each lesson learned, and each tear shed, I truly felt and still feel extremely empowered. I allow myself to feel any pains and simply let my hurt, hurt. I have chosen not to dwell in those places.
I pride myself in being an imperfectly perfect, flawed, strong, beautiful, Haitian American woman that has chosen to walk down my path towards success with my head held up high and ready for battle. No one or nothing but God can take me off this journey, and when He does I already know it will be for a greater purpose.
I believe big, pray boldly, and I am a firm believer that what was meant for my demise has become my rebirth. I am stronger than I could have ever imagined because of this experience, and for that, I am blessed and grateful. My hope for you is that you also embrace your "Colorful Journey."
Thank you for reading my story.
Next month I will feature new Dreamers, sharing their stories through my series entitled,
"Quarantined Dreamers"
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Thank you again for reading, and stay tuned!