Last week I got my vaccine shot. After the needle went in, I realized I couldn’t see clearly. I was crying. With a wipe of my hand, my vision cleared. And there it was:

The light at the end of the tunnel!

After twelve truly difficult months in history, we see better days ahead. Much has been sacrificed - lives, careers, even dreams - but we’ve equally gained - resilience and commitment and compassion. To get here, we’ve become better versions of ourselves. More connected to what matters; better than portrayed by politicians or media. We brought our best, when we would have been excused for showing up with our least.

We made it to end of the tunnel!

Recently on a virtual call, a friend shared plans for a career change. The last twelve months brought important questions: Are we working on the right goals? Do we have more to give? Is the “return to normal” enough?

“I don’t think I can go back to more of the same,” she said. “I’m not that old-normal person anymore.”

“We’ve all done some soul-searching,” I noted. “Think of the pandemic not as prohibition, but permission to chart a new path. The world is different and it needs a different version of you, too.”

“I’m ready for the risk,” she said.

I said, "Life molds us for what we need at each stage. And prepares us for what we need next. From your new vantage point, life is asking the NEW YOU to start the next climb.”

“So the light at the end of the tunnel doesn’t mean the exit?” she laughed.

“Actually, the light turns out to be a mirror,” I said.

It has been reflecting back our own light the whole time. It provides a glimpse – pulling us forward - towards who we can become through the uncertainty of the tunnel. When we arrive, we see someone in the mirror who has become ready for the next part of the journey -

Because the tunnel keeps going.

I’m grateful for making it through the last 12 months safe, healthy, and more connected to what matters. I’m also glad the vaccination shot made me cry. I needed to clear my sight. Wipe away the stress and doubt - and catch my reflection in the mirror of my tears.

I caught up with my friend a few days later. She was full of energy and wonder. “I should have done this before the pandemic,” she said. “I don’t know what I was waiting for.”

“Well,” I smiled, “sometimes we all just need a good shot in the arm."

#alwaysinspiring