On a warm July evening, members of the Leadership Circle and past YWCA board members gathered to celebrate resilience and optimism at Foundry Vineyards.
“Spirits were high, bright persimmon clothing was abundant, and everyone was simply thrilled to be meeting face to face,“ Executive Director Anne-Marie Zell Schwerin said.
At the time, the so-called fourth wave of the pandemic had not yet hit Walla Walla County, and to our knowledge, thanks to a high percentage of vaccinated guests, no COVID transmission has resulted from the in-person gathering.
Taking stock
Table conversations centered around questions posed by our 2021 luncheon speaker, author and life coach Molly Davis.
Where do we go from here?
What is ours to do?
Of the many changes the past 16 months have brought to our lives, we discovered how grateful we are for some of those changes. For others…not so much.
The parts of quarantine we enjoyed most? Many found more time for reflective walks. “Walking was my discovery. My peace.”
Gratitude is key
Many found a renewed sense of gratitude to all who helped us get through the pandemic – the vaccination clinic folks, the UPS truck driver, the mail carrier.
Our outside activities moved inside our homes, meaning shared Wi-Fi, meeting spaces…a “tight family time” that was as challenging as it was a gift.
“Living daily with my family was scary and wonderful at the same time – exhausting and energizing,” said one mom.
We also learned to make do with less, to live on less, to enjoy simple pleasures like baking bread and making casseroles. “I’m able to be alone and to be content alone.”
The consensus of the assembled guests was that we really didn’t need all that toilet paper! In fact, someone shared that her new shopping motto is, “If I can’t eat it, I don’t need it!”
For some of our guests, COVID forced new life choices, and nearly everyone reported that the pandemic led to a massive personal change of some kind.
The sisterhood of the comfy pants
Where do we go from here? “We can leave behind intolerance and hate and take our resilience, flexibility, and grace into the future.”
And most agreed on another thing we can happily leave behind: “hard” pants. (Because comfy pants rule.)