I had a brief moment of excitement and impulse reaction to immediately book a flight to Europe the moment the Singapore government announced opening the international borders with the VTL, Vaccinated Travel Lanes.
Sanity kicked in eventually not to travel…I did not consider the requirements of a pre-departure PCR test for returning, and with an upcoming family wedding, I clearly could not risk failing the test and missing the wedding.
This Covid crisis has changed many things and impacted many lives. Lives lost; businesses closed and jobs lost; mental stress and broken relationships; lifestyles change…and I am learning to see that in every crisis there is always a silver lining.
My Silver Lining
My first year retirement plan came crashing down with Covid. I had planned to travel to the emerging parts of the world, to live like a local and to discover local cultures. Being grounded with no travels possible, I had to develop a new set of routines and interests to keep me going.
I found my silver lining in blogging and learning to write. I had never imagined myself being a writer, nor my family and friends who truly know me too. It shocked them initially, it’s simply not me and I am surprised with myself too. Through writing, I have discovered a deeper understanding of myself.
If not for Covid, and if I was busy travelling this past one year, I might not have been as disciplined and focused to publish a consistent weekly post. Covid has given me the window of opportunity to cultivate this discipline and helped me discover the beauty of writing.
May You Find Your Silver Lining
Whether change is good or bad is all about one’s perspective in life, same with dealing with any crisis. There will always be challenges in any life learning journey and it is how we train our mind to see daily life’s situation as opportunities to find our silver lining.
For me, my writing is simply a platform that trains me to listen; to observe; to think; to reflect; to capture my moments of thoughts and learnings, and to share this journey in my blog. This self-cultivation takes time and an enduring mind. My progress may be slow like a tortoise but is steady, and for this I am grateful.
So wherever you are and whatever life is challenging you, I hope my blog can bring you some joy and inspiration. And as you learn to adjust your life to live with Covid or any other life challenges, may you find your own silver lining, have the strength to see through them and come out stronger each time !
Lyn🌻😊
Lyn,
You have a keen fan who feels okay to wait up at 3am and, especially on Friday morning. Made a cup of herbal tea and while waiting for it to cool down, I read your weekly blog. I am glad you allow yourself to think for your family first before you launch your exploration in your travel basket. A wedding is a happy occasion to enjoy and no doubt, we look forward to your happy event blog. Good luck to continuity of your uplifting weekly blog to share with us. May God blesses our world!
I am so happy that you enjoy my blog and look forward to each week new release… and aww waking up 3 am to read it ! Yes, there is a time for everything and family wedding will always be the highest priority for sure, though I was quite desperate to travel :).. And thank you so much for your weekly comment, much appreciated ! May god bless you too !
That is true for covid has indeed changed a lot of things and our perspectives too! There has been a study recently conducted that first dose of vaccination also boosts the mental health.
Being the natural leader you are, was confident you’d find your silver lining and glad you did. 🙂
Wow I did not know that first dose of vaccination can help boosts mental health, interesting insights ! Thank you NS so much for sharing this information and your very kind comments :)..
Lyn, i can tell that you are enjoying your retirement and know how to use your time very well. Keep it up.
Stay safe & be happy!!
Yes, so far so good with my retirement, grateful for the smooth transition. Thank you so much for your well wishes, may you always be well and happy too !
Lyn,
Powerful image of the stillness of aviation world. The plane will wait for you. Take off when you are ready.
Sxx
Yes, cannot wait to fly again !
The covid stay home days during heightened alert forced us to slow down and rediscover ourselves. I am glad you found your silver lining in blogging and writing. Maybe you can try singing too ;)!
Keep going Lyn!
Great idea SKL, I can never sing but just as I thought I could never write.. never know till we try right ! Thank you so much, I am giving singing/music a serious thought 🙂
Hi Lyn, glad that you found your silver lining. I’ve found mine too, though not during Covid or some crisis, but simply change of circumstances such that one just have to think of ways to make it work. I always believe things happen for a reason, and for a good one.
By the way, congratulations on your upcoming and exciting family wedding! Have an enjoyable great time.
Absolutely agreed with you Bee Eng, everything happen for a good reason and I am so inspired by your positive mindset here ! Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts and well wishes for the upcoming wedding celebration :).
So beautifully expressed. I wish everyone who has been complaining about almost everything, let alone Covid read your blog and gain some new insights and perspectives about navigating through life in general. Thank you for your sharing
Thank you so much Dora for your kind comments. I am grateful you find my blog meaningful and relatable for a broader audience, and this alone brings me so much joy ❤️:)
Nice sharing Lyn. Very encouraging after reading your blog. I find my silver lining exercise with my neighbour Margaret walk and run around the neighborhood every evening started 1 mth ago. Also looking after my parents living separately. Though facing covid 19 challenges and many are suffering, self care is even more important with a situation like covid 19. Truly, we should consider ourselves lucky. Can sit and reflect so we can improve in what we are doing. It helps us to get to know ourselves.
Hi Eliza, great to know and learn from your personal story, thank you so much for sharing ! I can especially resonate with your point on just sitting still and simple reflection alone can help us understand our inner feeling and improve on our life’s journey.
Well said! Thank you Lyn for sharing & for the wonderful reminder to find our silver linings. ❤️❤️❤️❤️
Thank you Fall ! So happy you find it relatable ❤️
Really like what writing has done to you as described. Best gifts to us and we never used it well, but glad that we are now.
Yes many hidden gifts in our life just waiting to be uncovered and so glad to find mine in writing. Thanks Yam for sharing your thoughts!
Well said. Blogging gives so much back to the writer – I learn so much, but being retired too, it can become a little addictive. But in a good way!
Yes I am loving it, though just barely getting started to engage with other bloggers. I am learning a lot from your blog articles too, thank you so much for your engagement.