Lighting the New Year

By Connie Zdunich

Happy New Year everyone! This is going to be an incredible year. I’ve made up my mind, and I’m sticking to it. 2021 is now in the past, and we made it through…again. Do you feel as though you have lived the past twelve months on a Slip & Slide, fighting hard to get traction while facing the same “potholes” that seem to have plagued our lives for the past two years?

A few months ago, an old friend came back into my life after being gone for a while. This person has been through trial after trial during the past year and half. She lost both parents: her mother to COVID and her father to heart failure. She lost a grandchild in a tragic accident. Soon after, she contracted COVID and fought a valiant extended fight back to health. She had to leave her promising career due to the lasting symptoms from her bout with the virus, so she decided to return to southern Utah.

When we met for lunch, I was thrilled to see that my friend was full of hope, joy, and optimism for a new start and a bright future. Despite all that she has gone through, she continues to move forward with a sense of positivity that literally lights up the room when she enters. She shared that while she was too sick to do much but rest, she reflected on her situation and the “state” of those around her who seemed to be having such a hard time finding their way in the chaos of the new normal world. As the days passed, she made a life-changing decision. She knew she could not do a lot, but she was “determined to do a whole lot of little things.”

First on the list was the self-promise to smile all the way to her eyes, sharing her joy in her greeting to all she met. She resolved to help others by opening doors, assisting in any way she could when at a store or in a parking lot, and writing notes of encouragement to those she knew who were struggling. Being a woman of faith, she decided to ask for daily inspiration about who needed her help each day. At first, she was amazed at the positive responses she received. People were more than ready to see a smiling, joyful face, and they responded in kind.

My friend is getting stronger each day. She has returned to work and has started volunteering in the community. She stated that her focus on others has diminished her personal pain and grief. Her days are filled with light, and her focus is on doing “whatever is next.”

Are you inspired? I am! This is going to be an incredible year; I know this because I looked into those joy-filled eyes and felt their light. Life is what we make it, and if we can change even one thing for good each day, it will be a very happy new year, southern Utah. Bring it on. I’m ready for the challenge!

About the Author Connie enjoys working with local Hospice Groups and Veterans Associations. The military is very close to her heart, with her father being a Pearl Harbor Survivor, and her sweetheart retired Navy. Helping support local hospice groups is very rewarding for Connie, and she feels being a part of the Spilsbury team is an awesome opportunity. She is the mother of seven daughters and nineteen grandchildren, who are “the joy of her heart”. She loves being of assistance to those in our community who do so much for each of us.