Positivity, Hope and Joy
November 23, 2020
When our lives as we knew it came to a screeching halt thirty-six weeks ago, we quickly regrouped and figured out how to create a new normal. We began working alongside our kids as they attended classes, found joy in celebrating milestones through a screen, and called upon alternative ways of remaining connected with our loved ones whom we could not see in-person. We navigated long lines at the grocery store and found an even greater appreciation for front line workers – a definition that now includes a far broader range of people. In other words, we learned to adapt and adjust. It hasn’t been easy, but with each unexpected obstacle that has often felt like a landmine, we persevered and continued putting one foot in front of the other.
The pandemic seems to influence so many of the decisions we make. Look ahead just a few days, for example. Are your long-standing Thanksgiving plans with loved ones, like mine, on hold for a year? It wasn't a difficult decision to make, given the circumstances, but it was, and is, disappointing. I will miss cooking, laughing, reminiscing, and making new memories together. I will miss the annual repeating of the same funny stories and sharing of new ones while sitting around the crowded table of adults and kids - kids who, in what seems like just a few blinks of an eye, are now (all but one) adults.
This Thanksgiving is different and it's not for a good reason. But that doesn't mean the day can't be a great one. What if you think of different as an opportunity for finding alternative ways of having fun, celebrating traditions, and maybe even starting new ones? You might even turn pumpkins into pumpkin pie. It will take some planning, yes, but it's doable. To help you kickstart this effort, here are some ideas to consider:
Use technology to your advantage:
• Schedule a video call with those you would have typically been with and enjoy some time together. Maybe you’ll decide to include a laptop with your table settings so you can eat together, despite being apart.
• Include others in your day. Now that you're a pro at video calls, set aside time to connect with other friends and family.
Enjoy your traditions
• Carry on the Thanksgiving traditions that are most important to you by modifying and adapting them as needed.
• Do something new and different that may even become a new tradition to enjoy in the years to come.
Give thanks
• Be thankful for the big and small things in your life.
• Be grateful for what you have done and accomplished.
• Be appreciative of the people in your life and the memories you share with them.
• Be grateful to those you don't know but who have helped you during the past eight months.
Never forget
• Don't just remember those who are no longer here - look at their pictures and honor them by telling stories and sharing memories.
• Remember the significant events that have shaped you and the life you are living.
• Keep alive the memories of injustices to ensure that they are never again repeated.
In a year when the challenges are seemingly never-ending, I wish you nothing less than an abundance of health and happiness! As we enter the holiday season this week with Thanksgiving, let's all do our best to kick it off with what we collectively need a whole lot of right now - positivity, hope, and joy!
