Katie Collins

It’s the month of the Irish, kissing the blarney stone (with your mask on), finding 4-leaf clovers (when you get to be outside), wearing green (pajamas work too)– all under the impression that it will bring luck. It’s also the month when history makes us more aware of all the amazing women around the world that have made significant contributions (outside of birthing EVERY SINGLE HUMAN). When it came to employment and women, Gallup reports that while both men and women’s employment numbers suffered greatly, as of Feb 2021 Women have been creating their own luck at every turn and women today are blessed to be able to stand on the shoulders of those who have come before us in history.

3 Revelations about Self-Leadership, Self-Love and when Grief Hits 99% of the time I choose optimism. We moved without getting to say good-bye to so many people we love, we lost one of our dogs, we comforted family members who did lose their jobs, we are in a new location without the ability to explore and meet people, and parts of each of our businesses changed so much we feel we lost something we did I need time to unpack my feelings – especially one like sadness, or it becomes a slippery slope into confusion, frustration, a short temper, numbness, anxiety, and even the threat of full on depression. I offer my own experience because grieving – over all the change, unmet expectations, and the pandemic – made me empathize with a new depth, have better language to facilitate the emotions coming forth in client sessions, and ask better questions to help others recognize their own journey.

Still, the ambiguity of the current pandemic situation leaves us unable to plan for anything except more virtual work (more sweatpants), less travel (lower gas prices), fewer in-person gatherings (fewer hugs), and more home schooling (teachers need a Flippin’ RAISE!). it’s understandable when we all stop and acknowledge that we prefer better in-person experiences with the people we know (quality). By using context, you set the other person up to feel more successful in the conversation and they feel seen by this one simple nuance. Specifically, we need to seek better information about how we are all doing in the jobs we have chosen to work in (or the virtual world we must work in).

It really does take a Village As we’ve all become fatigued from the isolation, the virus continues to return and now we are facing a pivotal holiday in the U. S. that forces us to celebrate in smaller groups, cancel travel to see loved ones, and replace the human hug and time sitting together with a zoom platform. Even if by screen, having someone in your family share your family history with the younger generations will do more for them in the long run than any other factor you’d expect. Bradley Franklin turned out to be a family name passed down to my uncle, Isaac Bradley Franklin, a civil engineer who served in the navy towards the end of WWII. For many they will miss what this year provided in silver linings- more downtime, more time with family they love, DIY projects they never thought they’d get to; for others, they will gladly say farewell to the sadness, chaos, and close quarters.