#in2021

“The tiny seed knew that in order to grow, it needed to be dropped in dirt, covered with darkness, and struggle to reach the light.”

— Sandra Kring, author

The truth is, one year’s hardships do not simply dissolve with one orbit around the sun. As much as I’d love to kick off the year with #NewYearNewMe, the truth is, there’s still a lot of old me in the mix: still dealing with hybrid learning and work environments, still worried about the mental and physical health of my family, still not where I’d like to be financially and the list goes on.

At first, I thought, “What’s wrong with me?! Why am I being so pessimistic?” The new year is a symbol of a fresh start and, traditionally, I love to embrace and celebrate and embody that. But, this year, that’s all it feels like: a symbol. In reality, it feels like someone forgot to skip to the next track and 2020 is stuck on repeat.

After a bit of reflection, I realized I am not pessimistic. Rather, these thoughts are inherently hopeful. The dirt of this season of life; it doesn’t represent a permanent darkness. It’s fertilizer: fuel for a vehement commitment to finding light in 2021.

This cheesy metaphor produces powerful imagery in my mind: of hope, of spring, of liveliness, of color, of growth.

So, that’s what the next 21 days are about: growth.

At maro, our focus is on families. So, we asked parents: What is one lesson you want your kids to learn in 2021? Or, what is one lesson you hope to learn…