December 2020- Ashley Euler, CMP

Ashley Euler, CMP Children's Healthcare of Atlanta Director- Leadership Development MPI Georgia Chapter

Forgiveness…. Is more than saying sorry… (did anyone catch the reference? No? Bueller? If not, go watch the Ryan Reynolds smash hit, “Just Friends” from 2005 and thank me later!

What does forgiveness mean to you? For me, forgiveness is, unfortunately, a very consistent theme in my attempt at surviving 2020. Forgiving myself when I miss that deadline because I just couldn’t get through my never-ending to-do list. Forgiving your colleague who is grappling with personal struggles at home that then bleeds into a tense environment at work. Forgiving a company for having to furlough employees that were desperately needed to help carry the overwhelming workload.  And ultimately forgiving our industry for letting us down and not being able to weather the storm of coronavirus. These are all very real things that we are faced with every day this year and there are some times when I just want to throw my hands up and say, “I’m done! I can’t do it anymore!”

The reality is that to survive this ridiculous year, we all need to give ourselves grace. It is ok if you need to say “no” to your 1,000^th zoom happy hour for the week and just spend time with your family. It is ok to wear sweatpants all day and just look professional from the waist up for that afternoon meeting. And it’s ok to not be ok!

We will all get through this difficult time, I am sure of it. When we are all out on the other side, looking back and wondering how we ever made it through, we will be able to pick ourselves up and dust ourselves off and be better for it. And when that glorious time comes, your friends at MPI Georgia will be there to welcome you back with open arms and smiling faces. We are better together, even when we are forced to be apart.