I didn’t travel. I stayed home. Like so many people, I do indeed miss those I love. Being an introvert, I don’t miss people, but there are people I miss. However, even those people and I have chosen to keep our celebrations and communications virtual for the time being. To everyone who actually cares to listen and internalize what’s going on with COVID-19, I think it’s plain that consideration for self and loved ones extends far beyond just those people. So, those people and I are on the same page.
I didn’t forget that Thanksgiving, as an intrinsically American holiday, is a complicated (at best) affair for numerous people in this nation. Perhaps numerous doesn’t convey the actual number, which I think is quite large. This isn’t lost on me and I don’t celebrate Thanksgiving from a traditional point of view. Rather I celebrate it as the beginning of a season I carved out that begins that weekend and continues throughout December and concludes with the commencement of a New Year. A couple of years ago I came up with the idea of celebrating the Twelve Months of Christmas. On the 25th of each month, I will find a person in some kind of need and do something for that person. I do it anonymously. I do it without desire for more than the increase in the person’s welfare. So much time and effort is spent on the idea of generosity and giving during the holiday season, yet the rest of the year is entirely devoid of such spirit, such encouragement to do good.
I did remember to deeply and thoroughly consider what gratitude is to me and how grateful and thankful I am for my life, my family and the opportunities I continually have to try and contribute to bettering things in this world. My life has not been hampered in the same ways and to the same degree that other people’s lives have been this year. That doesn’t mean it has been easy. But that hasn’t bothered me. I have had even more opportunities to share what I can and assist others as I am able to safely.
I did make a small, celebratory meal. I enjoyed it with my son. We kept it simple and with a minimum of indulgences. I also purchased more food to donate to shelters and food banks. Live more with less has become the mantra of my life in the past couple of years. Simplicity is the opening of space, without -and- within! In following this mantra, I find I have more space creatively and more resources to work with. Those resources, in terms of a simpler and smaller meal, meant more to donate toward food for others.
I definitely connected with family and friends! Whether it was a silly Star Trek meme exchange with Matt, or the video call with Mike in Montana (two of my brothers) or the phone call with my mom, I enjoyed quality time with those I cherish.
I hope you enjoyed the opportunity to appreciate time with those you love. However you celebrate the span of days that represent the holiday season, I hope you find joy and happiness and that it encourages you toward considerations of generosity, compassion and gratitude all the time!
May joy, health and kindness be yours to give and receive all of the time!
