I had been working on my blog and newsletter for celebrating Thanksgiving. I do not even understand the how’s and why’s for this year’s holidays. 2020 did not come with a playbook and COVID-19 has seemingly consumed even the holidays.
For inspiration, I went back to my old holiday blogs such as, how to survive the holiday stress and how to tap into gratitude to get through the holidays. Nothing seemed appropriate.
You know when you stumble upon something you were searching for and it is like a “YES, THAT is IT!” moment? Well, I was not having one of those. Instead it was more like, “What is that name of the restaurant I loved when we were on vacation in 2006?”. A vague memory or something I may have known but couldn’t quite put my finger on it.
Possibly in my defense, depending on the year and circumstances, I do seem to bounce between Cindy Lou Who and Ebenezer Scrooge between the November 1-Jan 1. Maybe I was just not “feeling” the holidays yet.
No…I was just not finding what I was looking for. The thing that encapsulated the beginning of this holiday season. Ugh. This unpredictable and already exhausting 2020 holiday season.
I shut my office door, turned on some music, lit a candle and just sat.
And then it slowly came to me. Through the quiet I was able to connect with my inner Cindy Lou Who.
I was able to really feel into my favorite things about the holidays…not think about what was different…or what I might be “missing” out on…or who was making the “risky” choice to have 30 people over for the holidays just to be “jerks”. Sigh. Those were the pesky thoughts that were distracting me.
I was able to push those thoughts aside and begin to feel into the essence of the holidays.
Ahhhhh! Yes…
Gratitude.
Hope.
Familiarity. And Surprise.
Laughter.
Stories. Music. Songs.
Joy.
Warmth.
Comfort.
Memories.
Sweet and savory foods.
Love.
Giving. Sharing.
Peace.
Holidays this year may be “social distanced”, on a tighter budget, quieter, or just plain weird; but I invite you to focus on the things that still will be there for you. Like stuff from my list. And all the things you would add to my list.
Of course, I will miss seeing my family in person. I will miss tradition (mostly). But what am I looking forward to? How will this holiday season be special? What kind of new memories will I create with my husband and kids? I am pretty sure they will still be pretty dang awesome, even if we are just “stuck” at home. And don’t forget– there will be pie.
This Thanksgiving and throughout the holiday season take time to turn within. Contemplate. Increase your awareness of your thoughts and feelings. Meditate. Leave the crap at the door and invite in the warm fuzzies. Dream. Create. And take action on all the plans you have been thinking about for the holidays and beyond.
Sending you all the warmest of thoughts and the joy and wonder of the holidays!
Mary
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