{"id":3261,"date":"2021-12-22T07:06:07","date_gmt":"2021-12-22T15:06:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.piercecountywa.gov\/executive\/?p=3261"},"modified":"2023-06-26T13:26:57","modified_gmt":"2023-06-26T20:26:57","slug":"what-weve-learned","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.piercecountywa.gov\/executive\/2021\/12\/22\/what-weve-learned\/","title":{"rendered":"What we&#8217;ve learned"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-3262\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.piercecountywa.gov\/executive\/files\/2021\/12\/lessonslearned.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"4596\" height=\"2835\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.piercecountywa.gov\/executive\/files\/2021\/12\/lessonslearned.jpeg 4596w, https:\/\/blog.piercecountywa.gov\/executive\/files\/2021\/12\/lessonslearned-300x185.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/blog.piercecountywa.gov\/executive\/files\/2021\/12\/lessonslearned-768x474.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/blog.piercecountywa.gov\/executive\/files\/2021\/12\/lessonslearned-1024x632.jpeg 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 4596px) 100vw, 4596px\" \/>We all know that 2020 was a difficult, exhausting year.\u00a0 I know I expected 2021 to be a bit easier, with us well on our way to recovery.\u00a0 As I wrote in <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.piercecountywa.gov\/executive\/2021\/12\/17\/not-quite-what-i-was-expecting-but\/\">last week\u2019s blog<\/a>, I was wrong!<\/p>\n<p>The past 12 months have taught or reinforced important lessons &#8211; about ourselves, our community and our world.<\/p>\n<p>2021 taught us the importance and power of connection.\u00a0 We went months without seeing people we love, without a hug or handshake, and without meaningful human interactions. That loss is not quickly filled but it has been wonderful to safely gather, again.\u00a0 Two weeks ago, our church held the Christmas Concert \u2013 with both the children and adult choirs.\u00a0 Even with everyone masked, it was reinvigorating to see people I hadn\u2019t seen in person since early 2020.\u00a0 Frustratingly, our 2021 Grinch, the Omicron variant, means we need to remain vigilant in protecting ourselves and those around us.<\/p>\n<p>One thing that carried over from 2020 to 2021 was conversations with friends and colleagues, which have taken on a different character.\u00a0 Even simple chats have more depth and meaning.\u00a0 In pre-COVID days you might toss out, \u201cHow are you?\u201d with a casual tone. You might wait to hear a simple \u201cfine\u201d and move on. But now, when someone asks you that same question, you likely offer a more thoughtful response \u2013 knowing they are checking in to make sure you are okay. Just this morning a casual greeting in passing in the stairwell, turned into a few minute conversation and connection around a common experience.<\/p>\n<p>We\u2019ve learned that self-care and knowing your limits are smart and healthy. The stresses of the pandemic brought out an important willingness to honesty admit you\u2019re not okay. \u00a0\u00a0We all need to be open to seeking care for our mental and physical health, without fear of misunderstanding or judgment. That\u2019s one bright spot that I hope won\u2019t change.<\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s no question this year has been tough, with many losses \u2013 I lost an aunt and an uncle. But we\u2019ve proven we are resilient, adaptable and strong. I\u2019m proud of your tenacity and persistence. Our residents continue to be well served by you!\u00a0 Thank you for that.<\/p>\n<p>I don\u2019t know everything that 2022 holds for us but I do know that we can manage through whatever it brings.\u00a0 In the meantime, please take care of yourselves and those you love.\u00a0 Get vaccinated, boosted (I have the Pfizer vaccine and the Moderna booster!) and please be safe this holiday season.<\/p>\n<p>See you in the new year,<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-78 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.piercecountywa.gov\/executive\/files\/2017\/01\/Bruce-blue-signature.png\" alt=\"Bruce Dammeier Signature\" width=\"84\" height=\"44\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.piercecountywa.gov\/executive\/files\/2017\/01\/Bruce-blue-signature.png 680w, https:\/\/blog.piercecountywa.gov\/executive\/files\/2017\/01\/Bruce-blue-signature-300x157.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 84px) 100vw, 84px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Bruce<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>We all know that 2020 was a difficult, exhausting year.\u00a0 I know I expected 2021 to be a bit easier, with us well on our way to recovery.\u00a0 As I wrote in last week\u2019s blog, I was wrong! The past 12 months have taught or reinforced important lessons &#8211; about ourselves, our community and our [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":59,"featured_media":3262,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[38509],"tags":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>What we&#039;ve learned - Pierce County Executive<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.piercecountywa.gov\/executive\/2021\/12\/22\/what-weve-learned\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What we&#039;ve learned - Pierce County Executive\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"We all know that 2020 was a difficult, exhausting year.\u00a0 I know I expected 2021 to be a bit easier, with us well on our way to recovery.\u00a0 As I wrote in last week\u2019s blog, I was wrong! 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