It’s Only August! Welcome to August. It’s the 8th month of the year and by now I’m ready for the last day of the year. I as many of you have been trying to keep my family safe from the Coronavirus. I listened to all news reports, disinfected my house, and made sure members of my family wore their mask. I took this virus seriously and knew four out of the five members in my household had underlying health conditions and two of them have serious conditions. To spare you the details of how the virus hit my home, I want you to know it did. Four out of the five members in my household got the virus and now as I’m writing we have lived through the impact of Derecho which decided to wreak havoc in the state of Iowa. I always believe that life has a way of getting our attention. I don’t know about you, but I’m listening. All that we have gone through is getting us back to basics: our families, regular communication, creating your own resources to survive and not depend on others. During the virus schools were shut down and they still are. Many parents were at their wits end with their children and gained a better appreciation for teachers. How many parents took time to get to know their kids more? Have conversations with them? Teach them something they would not learn in school? The virus is a time in my opinion to bring us together again and solidify relationships with your spouse, kids, friends, parents, siblings, etc. Did you take time to do this or did you find the bad in all of this and become bitter versus looking at something good that could come from this event. As I am typing many are still without power and I know it is not fun to not have power which means no television, cells phones are down, no food. I get it, it hurts. The URBAN EXPERIENCE | 2020 7 I had the most fun spending time with a very special person who had no power and guess what we did, we talked, we laughed, we danced in the dark in the street, we ate food on the porch, took a night drive through the city. We get so busy with life and complaining about what we do not have. I challenge you to make what you have work and appreciate it and value it. I like many have said I am ready for this year to end. I have said I’m over it and I’m looking forward to 2021. I am going to take my statement and say 2020 has been the best year so far. I have grown, I have survived, and I have lived to tell the story. I got back to basics and realized the importance of everyone in my life. I hope you can find the good in 2020, yes it may be challenging to do especially if you’ve lost a loved one, your home, or have been financially hit hard. When we focus on the bad it turns into bitterness, when we focus on the good, the good gets better. Blessings, Dwana Bradley Editor-in-Chief The Urban Experience Magazine
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