As I sat pondering about this week’s column, I found myself going back in time and as I did so I looked back on some of my old musings from a few years ago.

I came across blogs and articles from around this time in 2019 and it is evident that back then none of us knew what lay ahead in the following year (s).

I find it unbelievable that we are heading in to a year that is three years on from 2020 the year of covid and all it brought with it arrived, where exactly have they gone?

Around Christmas 2019 / 2020 as a family we all got struck down with what we thought was the worst cold ever.

We now believe it to be one of the first cases of covid.

We all became really poorly and literally caught it off each other in rapid succession, little did we know what we were on the brink of.

Thankfully we all came through it and out the other side prior to the world going into lock down.

I guess March 2020 will always be noted as the month and year that the whole world joined together under the label of a pandemic.

As we all got shut down, the skies and the streets became hauntingly quiet; people became locked into their own solitude; families spent more time together; on-line meeting platforms become the norm and life around us all changed.

For such a long time there were no hugs, no handshakes and no personal contact outside the home.

Life was different and we longed for our version of normality.

At the time the six months of severe lockdown seemed to go on forever, it was like it was never going to end and when it did, we all wondered when / if it would be re-introduced (which of course over the Christmas 2020 it was).

How we longed for the time we took things for granted vowing that we wouldn’t ever make that mistake again.

I wonder how many of us have reverted to doing just that?

As we approach the start now of 2023 let’s take a moment to look back.

It is hard to believe that lockdown was three years ago however it is proof of how quickly time passes us by.

Take some time to reflect on this year on the lessons you gained and how by going back to some of the experiences it gave you; a sense of value of others maybe or how walks in outside drinking in nature filled your senses with clarity and joy.

Whatever it was revisit those things in 2023, obviously not through another lockdown but certainly through your own enlightenment of how to make the most of each moment.

Take time out this year to reflect on those experiences, make memories that will always bring a smile, practice more self-care and know that yes time will always pass at the same speed but remember how you spend it will live with you forever.

©Beverley Jones

Author of Made it Thru the Rain

www.awakenmentoring.co.uk