Life is opening up again! People are venturing out more and more, further and further. I am not the same person I was one and a half years ago, physically nor mentally, are you?

How did the ‘downtime’ affect you? I believed it would bring reflection, a time to look back upon my life, assess where I’ve been, where I’m going. That didn’t work out too well. It was more of a lull in my life, a non-thinking period, wasted. Not what I wanted, but, evidently not badly enough!

I look back this past year and see where I allowed myself to float by, not the usual action happening in my life that I’ve always welcomed and enjoyed. If life had been flowing as normally, the path I was on would have taken an abrupt turn upward. I believe we all experienced road blocks on our usual paths. No choice really, as so many things we were used to helping us through life were closed to us, for good reason and we were not used to this, coping was difficult! I cannot imagine how it would have been without phones, television, computers, our usual social media!

It is time to look forward. Aren’t you tired of negativity? Sure, bad things will happen to everyone, but how you respond will make a difference. I don’t believe when you are knocked down, you lie there, live there, and die there! The end of the day comes soon enough. Life is not a race. If you are running a race through life, please, let me step aside, you go for it!
Watching TV this morning, a guest from Atlanta on GMA said, “Meet your blessings half way.” What a true statement! Don’t wait and think happiness is going to fall into your lap, go out there and hunt it down! Attitude is a magnet. Negative or positive seems to attract like; you choose.

No one can change another’s attitude. I’ve watched people on social media, lashing out on everything sour in their lives. I don’t know who they think is listening, maybe another with the same thinking.

I will pick up where I left, the ending, hopefully, of our pandemic. Even in situations such as this, attitude can help when nothing else seems to. Let us focus on wellness and good health, in our bodies and society.

Now that we are on the upswing, looking back, my thoughts are on my life, the past and future, what have I accomplished, what is ahead, what legacy will I leave my family and friends? Is that something to worry about? Of course it is! My belief is that each of us is here for a reason. We learn, teach, love, and much more, helping each other through life. Any interaction with others, in work or play, leaves impressions on them and us that shape our lives and how we cope. A life with no others is unimaginable. Remember, “No Man is an Island!”

I retired from Senior Services, stationed at Hidden Valley Senior Center. I saw firsthand the importance of human interaction for myself and others. Our senior centers were necessarily closed during the pandemic. Knowing more of what we are dealing with now, they are beginning to open up, slowly and cautiously. Oh, what a difference this will bring into the lives of many seniors and staff. This is happening all over our nation, in many industries. Life is getting a reboot!

No matter your age, this mandatory slowdown on our lives has affected us. Let’s make it a learning experience for those fortunate to have survived during this time. The loss of life was devastating and all those reading this that lost loved ones, my deepest sympathy to you. We have learned many lessons, some of which we wish we had not. Each of us is given a new day to choose how we will spend. Not all are fortunate to see that new day. Do not waste any day.

Let us look back on our lives and contemplate what we could do to make our world around us a better place. How can we improve the present and future for ourselves and for those around us? There is a way to move forward positively. Let us each take that step, accepting any helping hand offered. Together, we can make this a better world! It is up to us, after all, we are earth’s “Intelligent Life.”

Jimmie Batchelor is retired from Henry County Senior Services in Stockbridge, where she managed Hidden Valley Senior Center and resided for 38 years. She uses her newfound time writing and enjoying life!