When I think about the ‘Gifts of Covid’…

…my list would not be what most would come up with. Yes, there have been many gifts that have brought personal and worldly comfort and joy. I valued the extra time spent with my daughter, in these younger years when hanging out with your mom is still ‘cool’, the forced down time that helped me recognize the importance of rest and relaxation and the incredible changes in the environment and air quality around the world that brought greater attention to pollution and caring for planet Earth.

But these aren’t the gifts I’m referring to. I’m talking about the ones that crack us open. The kind that initially feel like we are falling apart, when in fact, we are falling into place.

The ones that help us find our way back to belonging.

I’m referring to addictions, co-dependency, mental health, marriage, divorce, death, major life changes, trauma and grief.

I have the privilege of spending time with some incredible people who demonstrate that it is possible to be brave while feeling afraid, to be strong while feeling weak, to be vulnerable while feeling guarded, to be resilient while feeling deflated and to love while feeling heart broken.