One of my favorite episodes of Laverne & Shirley, an old TV show about two whacky female friends; is when the main characters save every penny so they can take a dream vacation to “near-Mexico.” Not Mexico. Not New Mexico. But “near” Mexico.

Envision with me all the silliness:

Their luxurious hotel room becomes a construction debacle with only three completed walls.
The exotic swimming pool consists of a blow-up pool in the hotel lobby.
The tropical weather turns into an unseasonable hurricane.

There is no real moral to Laverne and Shirley’s vacation story (it’s a sitcom with no obligation) except to notice each of the two character’s perspectives. Laverne calls the place a dump, thinks the pool is stupid and complains about unseasonable weather. Shirley, on the other hand, keeps her chin up and finds bright spots in all the absurdity.

I share all this with you to ask if you think this sounds a little like our own expectations during COVID.

In 2020, we certainly gave up exciting and potentially wonderful experiences only to replace them with “near fun” opportunities. We engaged in new hobbies and habits that seemed short-lived or felt second-best.

For many of us, it’s been difficult to say we’ve thrived in the past year. But somehow, we survived and honestly, some days that felt like a win.

However, some have truly thrived during this time. They’ve taken the Shirley approach, so to speak.

That’s why — in the coming blog posts — I thought it might be fun to share some thoughts about what I’ve witnessed about thriving over the past year. What does it look like when you choose to thrive, not just survive, even when circumstances try to tell you otherwise?

One thing I’m learning is thriving — rather than just surviving — can be a real struggle. That’s not only during COVID, but at other times in my life.

I’ve been calling this past year a mountain journey. I’d love for you to join me on it, no matter where you are on your own personal journey.

My hope is that as we learn together, you will begin to say with me, “Life isn’t just what happens at the mountain top, it’s also the climb and the descent that make it both Wild & Wonderful!”