When I first sat down to write this blog, I planned it be lighthearted, reflecting on the current changes I myself am going through in terms of work, life, relationships. But as I began to type I realised embracing change goes so much deeper than just me, myself and I.
A new season brings new change and change is something we’ve had to rapidly get used to in 2020 but if this year has taught me anything, its to not only embrace change but to encourage it also. The world is crying out for change, and its taken a pandemic to get us to listen. Back in March when the world suddenly went quiet, other global issues had a chance to grab our attention. When a white Minneapolis police officer named Derek Chauvin knelt on George Floyd’s neck, an unarmed black man, for 8 minutes and 46 seconds, subsequently killing him, the Black Lives Matter movement finally had the spotlight and encouraged us all to look within and make a conscious effort to be anti-rascist, providing overwhelming evidence of the systematic racism that exists in our society.
A couple of months later, the Refugee Crisis leapt to the forefront of our minds, a crisis I dare say a lot of us know about, as soon as a small dinghy boat is filmed crossing the dangerous channel waters, but very rarely seek to educate ourselves about it. I include myself in this.
Amongst this, a hashtag circulated on Instagram set out to empower women by taking black and white selfies, claiming #challengeaccepted, when in fact what this originally intended to highlight was the devastating gender-based violence in Turkey and the dismantling of the Istanbul Convention, originally set out to combat this violence and abuse.
And of course, not forgetting the horrendous Beirut explosion, killing atleast 190 people, leaving thousands wounded and thousands more homeless.
But still, a few more weeks pass and we forget. We move on, without making any changes.
It’s incredible that all this came to light in just a few months, 2020 has certainly shook us to our very core, and it can seem like a lot to process. But you may have seen a poem circulating on social media, that I keep coming back to, especially when I find myself wishing things were perhaps different. I thought I’d pop it in here as a reminder.
What if 2020 isn’t cancelled?
What if 2020 is the year we’ve been waiting for?
A year so uncomfortable, so painful, so scary, so raw – that it finally forces us to grow.
A year that screams so loud, finally awakening us from our ignorant slumber.
A year with finally accept the need for change.
Declare change. Work for change. Become the change. A year we finally band together, instead of pushing each other further apart.
2020 isn’t cancelled, but rather,
the most important year of them all.
by Leslie Dwight
So lets keep declaring change, and lets be vulnerable together as we actively do the work that needs to be done. Change is inevitable, there is no escaping it, so work for it, use it as your ally.
We are creatures of habit, and very easily get stuck within our comfort zones and its taken a global pandemic to finally shake things up. But when we finally emerge from the other side, which we will, will you be able to look back and reflect upon the important changes you made?
Sending love and light x