Oh man, where do I even begin with this blog? 2020 was fun, wasn’t it?
Now, I know we have a ways to go before we are out of this pandemic and our country has SO many issues that need judicial reform, but if we don’t count our blessings we will stay stuck where we are.
2020 was a year of growth for me. Huge growth.
I began working on myself (truly) in 2019. That’s when I went back to therapy because I knew I needed it. There were more days full of tears than of joy and I just wasn’t happy. I had just moved to Lakewood about six months prior to this and I thought that would help with things. Turns out, it only made them worse.
The work I began in 2020 went back to my childhood and I discovered SO many underlying issues that have shaped everything about me! My habits due to limiting beliefs I didn’t know were there, how I acted with relationships, and overall just not who I believe I am. Uncovering these things has helped me release and let go.
I am becoming my true authentic self.
In combination with therapy, I started meditating, journaling, and enlisted a mentor to help me break through the blockages I was having. This mentor uses a combination of yoga, breathing, reiki, EFT tapping, and more to get in touch with yourself and to work through resistance. And HOLY MOLY this is what I needed. I was yearning for this without knowing.
Journaling is where it’s at y’all!
And that’s why I started this blog! Writing has always been therapeutic for me, so I thought that if I shared what I wrote, and it helped just 1 person, why not do it?! I am truly here to serve! If you haven’t tried journaling, try it now! Set aside at least 5 minutes every day just to word vomit in your journal. Whatever is on your mind at the time. You’ll never know what you could uncover.
Sometimes I use prompts from meditation or podcasts I’ve just listened to, but most of the time I just start writing. If I don’t know what to write about, I start writing what I’m grateful for in a narrative format. I talk about what I’m grateful for and why. Why am I so appreciative of this thing or person in my life? And usually, it goes on from there.
I also did more things that brought me joy in 2020.
Part of healing is knowing that you need joy and rest in your life. We were still able to go kayaking every week, which, if you follow me on Instagram (@wheellifeblog in case you don’t) you know I absolutely love kayaking! It’s my favorite! It’s so freeing to get out of my wheelchair and into a boat that I am moving on my own! Out on the water, no one knows I have a disability.
And look. I embrace my disability. But it’s also nice to get away from people staring, or having to explain myself and everything else that comes with being a wheelchair user. Kayaking allows me to have that escape. And that’s empowering for me.
Chris and I also took advantage of the Cleveland Metroparks, the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, and other trails in the area. Being outside was something that has always been allowed with this pandemic. Nature is healing. Experiencing new sites brought me so much joy last year. I can’t wait to explore more this year!
Even more adventures
The nonprofit that I am involved with had some major shake-ups this year as well. We lost a board member that had control over [practically] everything to his resignation and the rest of the board had to make some decisions pretty quickly. But, we also have gained a board member with different experiences and have a couple more wanting to join.
Because of this resignation, we had to pick up some equipment. That also meant I could get my hands on a handcycle and experience more sites and trails! Our nonprofit has a handcycle lending program where members can borrow a handcycle for 30 days to get out in the community. If a handcycle was free, I was using it!
Handcycling was something that I had been missing for 5 years and I was really excited to get to do it again! Be prepared for lots of handcycling content in 2021!
There were many ups and downs in 2020, and these were just the highlights of some of the ups.
Last year was hard for many of us. I feel very blessed for having the life I do. I have a steady job that I am able to do from my home, a steady income, food in my fridge, and loving people in my life. 2020 brought on so many hardships for the entire planet, but for me, it also brought a lot of learning experiences.
I truly hope we can start moving forward as a more compassionate society. Compassion for ourselves, each other, and our planet. We will have disagreements, but it’s how you handle those disagreements that matter. Try not to name call. Try not to make generalizations (i.e. using “always” or “never”). Try listening with an open mind. My gut instinct tells me that resolutions will happen quicker and last for longer. Dispute with compassion.
As always, leave me some feedback either here – below this post, e-mail me (thewheellifeblog@gmail.com), or on any of my social media platforms! (FB/IG/TW/TT @wheellifeblog and Snapchat @megsh8). I would love to hear from you and what I can do to help. If there is ANYTHING that you want to hear about – please let me know! I can’t do any of this without YOU, so I would love to connect with you!
Let’s keep those happy thoughts, productivity, and self-care going! Until next time, live honestly, passionately, and with kindness! Take care!
