If we have a challenging day, we might look back and say, “Aside from this one day, the week was pretty good.”

At the end of a challenging week, we might look at the full month. Seeing a month can soften the edges of a tough seven-day stretch.

But how do we gain perspective on a tough year? Do we look back at a whole decade? That seems like a long period of time to hold in the mind all at once. Maybe that’s why a hard year tends to stick.

It may not come naturally, but a way through this is to pause to consider the past two years. Or three. Perhaps five.

This has been a difficult year in many ways. If we can, let’s widen the lens enough to see this one year as a dip within an overall less turbulent time.

And … maybe we can see that amidst the sorrows and disappointments of this year, it’s looking bright up ahead.