Part 1 - Achieving Life-Balance After Loss: The Gift of 2020

We say in our book that grief comes in all forms.

In 2020, we all suffered so many layers of loss. Looking back, though, can you also see some blessings that occurred during that time? For me, that huge upheaval in my life is what has led me to see true balance as I worked to re-invent myself…

For years, I scheduled my life in color-coded planner after planner in 10-minute increments, including work I loved, plus volunteering in my kids’ schools. I didn’t want to miss a single beat!

Even my vacation time had to be productive. Why read just one book when you could read four? Why simply nap in the sand when you could walk 2 miles daily on the beach?

When 2020 happened, everything in my ultra-regimented routine came to a halt.

Things shut down hard in California, people stayed home, some relationships got strained & even dissolved, and many aspects of the normal day-to-day felt totally out of my control. All of a sudden, my planner had a lot of white space! It was then that I got an aerial view of my life.

I realized the pace at which I moved was no longer sustainable or enjoyable.

After the initial shock, sadness, isolation, & grieving of a world, I felt I could no longer trust. I got a glimpse that I could actually create something new & better.

How important was it achieving so much if I wasn’t truly honoring the most important relationships in my life above all else? My God, my family, & my friends?

Over the coming days, I will share with you how I was able to create a whole new life for myself because of the shake-up that 2020 created in my life.

Ultimately, the changes I made have allowed me to find true balance and joy again—a very unexpected outcome of this unprecedented time of fear, disbelief, anger, and disenchantment…

I pray that over the next few days, what I share may inspire you to grab the reins of your life to become the best most fearless version of YOU!

Sue Ann Grann, Co-Author of Facing the Wave