The pandemic took so much from so many of us. I am certain I am not alone when I say the loss of loved ones, jobs, businesses, relationships and more proved to be very difficult period of time for me. Thankfully, embedded in difficulty is the opportunity for growth. Those of us that survived have all been fortunate enough to use this strange period of time to do just that. Grow. After college I started a small meditation business donation based. As that (very small) seed grew I door-knocked for a roofing company, selling storm-damage repair. The experience and skills I got from working in sales enabled me to begin offering my services to larger and larger clients. I had the opportunity to work with employees at Google, Astra-Zeneca, Glakso-Smith-Kline, and many more. The most rewarding work I may ever do was at a local cancer hospital, the James M. Stockman Cancer Center in Frederick, MD. Unfortunately as the pandemic hit, I moved 100% of my work online, which was very difficult for my clients as well as myself. The disconnection of a screen in a practice as intimate and personal as meditation took a lot of the joy out of my work. After about six months I decided to take a break from teaching. So I got a job as a bartender at my favorite local brewery, fulfilling my need for social connection during the pandemic, and learning more then I've ever known about beer.I feel as though this pandemic has given me a fresh start. Now, about a year into bartending, I yearn to do more, to get "back out there", to seek out new opportunities. Just like many of us, I'm not exactly sure what is next for me, but I am excited to go and find out.