Hometown Hero: Naomi Joseph of Woodsburgh

It seemed as though I was the busiest person on Earth. As my varied careers almost imperceptibly demanded increasing amounts of time, home became a place to temporarily crash while bolting between them. I didn’t plan that life, but one day I turned around and there I was, out of the house more than I was in it.    

Temporary respite was found through a sabbatical from speech therapy during the 2019-20 school year. But little did I know the implosive life reversal that was about to commence. My children learned remotely, my husband worked from home, and I was not scheduled for teletherapy. For the first time ever, my job description was to slow down, build relationships, laugh, play and relax. I had long conversations. I indulged my clients in decadent self-care. I showered my family with endless hours of attention. And I properly cared for myself. It was heaven on earth, and I decided to never return to a mayhem mindset. 

I am just one of the millions who have experienced a life-altering renaissance in the midst of this pandemic. But as I resume treating my incredible students along with tending to my other passions, I forge into the new normal with the awareness and practice learned from those precious months at home. 

My wish for you is that you create in your life whatever you dreamed over the last six months. You can do it. You deserve it.