An Update. | Post 21
As we settle into this new year, it is a time for reflection, taking stock of where we are and where we want to be, goal setting, and plan making. That is where I find myself this year -
2022 was a hard year, perhaps even harder than the two that preceded it - we all know what a buzzkill 2020 was, and last year, 2021, was not much better on the global scale. But closer to home, to me, 2022 was close to gut-wrenching. Rather than recount the hard times - I will just say this: 2022 put me mentally and emotionally into a place I haven’t been in years. It was hard to get up in the morning and if I didn’t have Yeti, my amazing doggo some of you have met - I don’t know that I would have gotten out of bed some days.
Suffice it to say - good riddance 2019 through 2023.
So, why am I writing this here? Well, as many of you have pointed out to me, my story is one of the things that makes me good at my job. I have been where you are. Still am, in many respects. I have cried tears of pain, of frustration, of confusion, of uncontrol, of turbulence, of inadequacy, of resolve. I am choosing to leave that pain behind. I have come to the realization that (as I tell many of you weekly) that I must help myself if I plan to be able to help others. So here I am, owning up to the fact that I have been pouring out of an empty cup for the better part of two year (more if I am honest) and am ready to make a change.
What does that mean for you? For Kokua?
Not a lot, really. You should not notice much of a change. Except to see that I am doing everything I can to give myself a life preserver, refill my cup, tend to my health and, therefore, be more present for all of you. Bear with me as I figure out what this new routine looks like, it may mean shortened hours occasionally and a little longer between emails, but I am still here, still your accountability partner, your guide, your information center. Continue to lean on me as I install my own support posts.
Schedule will not change - I am in person and virtual almost every Monday and Friday, virtual only every Tuesday.
Counseling will not change - I will use the tools I have to help all of you make better lives for yourself.
So here’s to new resolve, to organization, to gaining some control in a world that seems determined to take it from us.
As always, in health and happiness,
Shelby, RDN