The New York Times this week featured their annual story of “The Year In Pictures.” In the daily news announcing this collection, the author had to narrow down the selection to just a dozen photos “that best summarize 2020.” As I reviewed the full collection, I was pleasantly surprised to find a mixture of uplifting and positive stories sprinkled in with the photos and stories around Covid, inequality, unrest and natural disasters.
Wow, what a year!
This got me thinking....”If you could pick 6 photos from the year, what would they be?”
Here are mine.
NEMRA 2020
In January I spoke at the NEMRA conference sharing my stories and inspiring women to not just survive, but thrive as a woman in the electrical industry. Yes, that was when we still were attending events live in person, enjoying the energy and laughter of connecting with friends and colleagues in our industry. I’m confident we will get back to that someday.
Eva and Addison
Addison has brought so much joy to our lives and this photo reminds me that I had planned to get her certified as a therapy dog to bring joy, cheer and comfort to people in need. And I’m still committed to doing that some time in the future. This pic was taken when I travelled back to Chicago from Arizona and was thrilled to reconnect with friends like Eva and my PINKK network at our home in Wrigleyville. Again....I’m confident that someday we will get to do this again. Until then, my wish for all is that you stay safe and be well.
Joanna and Mini
I featured this photo of my grand-daughter, Joanna, and her puppy Mini in my August blog post on Happiness because it expresses such joy and energy. While I’ve certainly missed seeing our kids and grand-daughter, what a blessing that we have adopted technology like FaceTime and Zoom to stay in touch. Joanna (6) is quite an expert at giving me a tour of their new home, helping me pick out toys for tots donations and all-in-all just helping us all find our inner child.
During a “trans-atlantic networking call” with Deb Huttenburg and Eva Jelezova, I shared my frustration at not being able to get my mentoring ideas off the ground. They both recommended I connect with Stacey Felzer, a long time industry acquaintance and marketing genius. After the first phone call, I knew we had something special. We launched the Inaugural Empowering Women Mentorship Program in June with phenomenal positive feedback and I’m thrilled to be working on our next class scheduled for kickoff in January. If not for the pandemic, I’m not sure we would have had the platform to launch such a successful virtual Mentorship program. Thanks to Deb, Eva, Stacey, Tammy, Mark, Joe and all my mentors throughout my life and career for your encouragement and support. And Thanks to all the EWMP Sponsors, Mentors and Mentees for making the inaugural program such a success.
Superstition Mountain Golf Club
We had such great plans for friends and family to visit us here at “our mountain.” Thanks to those who did make it, and we look forward to seeing many more of you in the coming years. We were fortunate to have made the move in late 2019, sell our Chicago home in early 2020 and spend the year at Superstition Mountain Golf Club. Sometimes timing just works on your side.
My Best Friend and Husband!
Last, but certainly not least, I’m grateful for my best friend and husband Ron. We ventured to Arizona originally for the Cubs Spring Training. As season ticket holders, we enjoyed many games at Sloan Park and look forward to many more. I couldn’t ask for a better person to endure the challenges of 2020 with. But it’s not just about “enduring” it’s about living, exploring, learning, growing and thriving. Thank you, Ron, for more than 23 years of adventure!
What’s your half-dozen pictures? What’s your story for 2020? I challenge you all to reflect and find the positive, uplifting moments.