2020 was tough, but I'm grateful
Blog by Emily Pierce, PLS, CFedS
As I was walking through the woods last weekend, I suddenly realized I had been holding my breath. I stopped and consciously relaxed, starting with my shoulders, then slowly exhaled. Then I carefully and slowly inhaled the fresh, clean, cold air of northern Wisconsin. I suddenly felt the stress drain from my body and I actually started to look at my surroundings. I was on the back ridge of maples where a large 30” hemlock stands; the branches were covered with snow – it looked like a Christmas card! Birds were chirping and the tracks of deer, fox and snowshoe rabbits were outlined in the pristine, crunchy snow. An eagle made a slow, silent arc overhead. I couldn’t think of anywhere in the world I’d rather be than on this plot of land in the forest. I felt overwhelmed with gratitude for the beauty of my surroundings and for so many other gifts in my life.
I almost missed all of it because I started the walk carrying the weight of a very difficult year and my mind was absorbed with worry. I know that many of us have had a difficult 2020 – a year packed with stress, and for many, loss.
It occurred to me that I hadn’t felt grateful for a long time – until that moment.
I have a lot to be grateful for!
I’m grateful for my husband and two daughters. The times of rushing around with after-school activities has been put on pause, and that has given us the opportunity to spend time together as a family. We’ve been going to the girl’s few remaining sporting events together as a family, rather than split between activities. We spend weekends outdoors on the ice, trying to snag a walleye, or cross-country skiing - where there’s no cell, internet or phone service. It’s a break we all need.
I’m grateful for the opportunity to start a new job – in the middle of a pandemic!
I’m grateful that I get to go grocery shopping! It sounds simple and mundane, but it gets me out of the house and into the small town where we live. I see people face-to-face (kind of) and get the chance to connect with people I grew up with and our dear friends who we see so little of now-a-days.
I’m grateful to be a surveyor and for our close-knit community that is always working to make the world a better place. I’m so grateful for the wonderful surveyors I have had the privilege to work with over the years . . and for the surveyors I am proud to call friends.
The flip side of caring is the hardship of losing our friends . . . and we’ve lost some very special people this year.
One special friend, Mark Teuteberg, passed away just a few weeks ago. He was a man with a phenomenal mind, an incredible capacity for work and a giant heart. Mark, like me, was a county surveyor. He was involved with the Wisconsin County Surveyors Association (WCSA) and was serving on the Wisconsin Land Information Association (WLIA) at the same time I was the president of WCSA. I really enjoyed the opportunity to get to know him and observe how he handled himself and how he got things done gracefully. If I was unsure or had questions about anything, I could count on him for good advice grounded in hard-earned experience.
Mark got involved in these organizations because he cared. He cared about making the world a better place, and he made it better through his profession and by building friendships and strengthening organizations. I had the honor of presenting him with a lifetime achievement award through the Wisconsin Society of Land Surveyors (WSLS) a few years back.
We lost another Wisconsin surveying colleague, Gary Schneider very recently. He was active with the WSLS and was instrumental in the creation of recorded Transportation Project Plats here in Wisconsin. Frank Thousand, WSLS executive director said “It took a number of years, but he did the public and surveyors a lot of good through his work. His committee negotiated with DOT and the legislature to get us a law that has been a big help to surveyors and property owners across the state. His personality was perfect to deal with the DOT and his results speak for themselves. He had a big impact on the state of Wisconsin and all of us. He was another of the good guy surveyors that WSLS is so lucky to have as members.”
The loss of these fine people hurts, yet there is comfort in the realization that their lives made the world a better place. Few of us are in the position to change the world, but we are in the position to care for each other, to be kind, to do the best job we can do. I hope that if you have experienced loss, you can find comfort in knowing the incalculable positive impact your loved ones have made and come to find joy in remembering the time you had together.
I am looking forward to 2021, and my resolution is to be grateful, to notice the kindnesses, the good things that are easy to take for granted. Like a long breath of clear, cold, fresh northern Wisconsin air.
