March in South Florida might be my favorite.

A year ago the whole world was shutting down and I distinctly remember my husband and I having a conversation about how fortunate we felt that this was the climate in which we “had” to be locked down in – because this time of year here is absolute Heaven.

Today, as we were all a little off kilter due to the time change, we had an early afternoon fort picnic in Jude’s bottom bunk bed combined with a Frozen viewing. We then spent the rest of the day as a family in the pool, soaking up all of the gorgeous South Florida sun while awaiting our Shipt order from Costco.

But this is exactly what we were doing this time last year…and that’s what I have valued about the lessons this pandemic taught our little family. Every weekend became about book reading poolside while the kiddos swam; eating snacks with them while figuring out the weekly menu and discussing what show we’d binge watch together next.

There was a huge shift in our lifestyle pace. But as we grew more accustomed to the new normal and as the year progressed it became our way of life. It became our new tempo and the speed at which we approached our weekends and the time spent with the kiddos. Secretly, and now not so secretly, I have hoarded these moments for fear they’d be taken away by a relatively distant past that I wasn’t ready to confront again.

A year later, not much has changed for us. We’ve begun to travel a little and did finally book our family vacation to New England, a trip that had been on the books for 2020 that of course, never happened. While we’re excited to get back to life as we knew it, I’m uncertain that I have the capacity or desire to go back to that way of life completely. I have loved and cherished embracing my homebody tendencies and soaking up the fact that all of my favorite humans are always in my home. We might not be crafting every moment of our time together but the safety in the knowing they’re close by has meant the world to me.

I’m also excited for the opportunities that have come as a result of the vaccine becoming more widespread and available…

My mama will be here in a couple weeks to celebrate her 70th Birthday and she’s gotten her first dose of the vaccine which comforts us in knowing she’ll be a little more protected as she travels to visit us. We finally found a church home so this year we have a place to celebrate Easter. And we look forward to getting vaccinated soon, as well, so that we can resume traveling on a more consistent basis because it is so much a part of our life and a passion of ours.

This past year taught us a lot. It will never be lost on us that it has been brutal for so many who’ve endured loss and illness because of the coronavirus. It is because of that, that we chose to embrace this past year for all of the lessons it taught us and the opportunities it afforded us to grow and to become better humans.

So as we Spring forward, I’m hopeful and optimistic that we will never forget the year our life became so un-normal; because it was in that year that our family connected on a deeper level and our marriage thrived and blossomed. I soaked it all up as much as I did the rays of sunshine we were so fortunate to be able to experience throughout 98% of this pandemic.

I pray that this Spring brings a renewal and a remembrance of all that was learned from this unbelievable time in our lives, so much so, that we never go back to the way things were. But rather, that we approach each new season of life with a fresh perspective, a grand appreciation and a grateful heart for all that it gave us as opposed to what it took from us. And that to get back to our “normal” we might need to remember the last time we sprung forward. It might be that we want to stay exactly where we are.

Welcome, Spring.

~ Confessions of a Corporate Mom