I just came in from a brisk visit to my backyard. I needed a bit of fresh air to break up the day. I stood in the nearly silent neighborhood, looked at the snow and thought “I can’t believe we’re still in the midst of a pandemic.”
I don’t know where you were when the Eiffel Tower shut down or Times Square was bare, but I was sitting right here; Quarantining in my parents’ house, as I am now, and the only joy I felt was in the fact that were were safe and healthy. It may feel as if not much has changed since that balmy afternoon in March but in reality, everything has changed…there is light at the end of the tunnel.
In what has been the most inexplicably painful year for so many, it can be difficult to imagine feeling comfort and joy this holiday season. But in our new reality, one in which we’ve fought deeply but now must accept, comfort and joy is the fact that you’re able to sit here and read this blog post.
Because you are alive, friends. A privilege that not everyone gets to accept this year.
This year has taught me countless life lessons, some of which I am still struggling to accept. But acceptance and perseverance, I have learned, go hand in hand and cannot exist without the other. Sure, we can accept the unimaginable things that happened this year, but then we must continue on and find ways to survive and thrive. I’ve also spent this year continually reminding myself that perseverance does not always have to be career related. In fact, I think the most rewarding perseverance comes from our daily routines. It is not easy to “keep calm and carry on” when the world seems to be crashing around you.
But you’re doing it.
You’re getting up each morning, opening the blinds and not letting yourself live entirely in what’s happening around you. You’re adapting, persevering, growing and at the end of the day if the most productive thing you did that day was not give up…
…then you are doing an amazing job. And I’m proud of you!
Carrying on amidst a global pandemic can seem almost laughable, right? How is one meant to “carry on” when nothing is familiar, I can’t see my friends, I’m wearing a piece of fabric on my face and it’s dangerous to go to the grocery store?!
Trust me, I get it.
But carrying on can be the simple act of letting go. Letting go of what our lives used to be and being thankful for what we still have. It may feel as if you’ve lost everything this year. But I promise, you haven’t. If you are able to read this post, it means that you still have access to internet. It means that you most likely own an electronic device and you probably have running water. You may have been sick this year, but you’re well enough to read and comprehend. You may not be able to afford gifts for others this year but the acknowledgment of that fact means that you have people that you care about.
Nothing is forever, my friends. Nothing. Good or bad, painful or remarkable, things and people come and go in this life and that is why we must embrace this very moment in attempts to be thankful for what we have. I know, it’s tough. But finding gratitude even in the tiniest of moments, like a fresh fallen snow, can bring light that even a pandemic can’t diminish!
So, now what do we do? Christmas is in a week, parts of the world are back in lockdown and if you’re in the US, well, things aren’t great here. But whenever I start to feel sad or lonely or confused, I repeat the words that my husband first told me as I’d just been laid off from The Walt Disney Company, a job I moved across the world for and never got to start. Tears ran down my face and as my husband held me, he said “not forever, just for now.”
As we move into this week of Christmas, I want you to remember those words. And as the holiday will most likely look different this year, think back on your memories of Christmases before and feel hopeful for Christmases to come. And as you consider gathering with family and friends that do not live under your roof, remember how lucky you are to still have them and please make the responsible decision.
I know it’s not fun to hear. I want to see my brother, too. I took these fun photos in the snow and wanted to write a post about a cozy Christmas routine or “5 Things to Gift This Holiday Season,” but I believe that anyone with a voice, large or small, better have something valuable to say. Because people do listen. And as a citizen of a country where the pandemic is at its worst, it is my job and yours to inspire others to do the right thing. It’s not political. It’s not religion. It is kindness and compassion. I see these people with their political signs in their front yards, not wearing masks because it’s “their American right” not to, and it baffles me. I think that staying at home for Christmas this year is, quite possibly, the most patriotic thing you can do.
In a year where Zoom dates are the new Friday night out, football stadiums are empty and toilet paper is (once again) impossible to find, staying at home for the holidays seems as if it could be the most normal fragment of what has been the most unusual year.
But it is so much more than that.
It’s the comfort of knowing that you’re safe. It’s your favorite Christmas movie playing on repeat. It’s a warm cup of coffee and a few deep breaths. And as crazy as it sounds;
You could potentially save lives. An unparalleled act of kindness.
There is truly no place like home for the holidays. And staying home for the holidays is the most beautiful gift you can give to your loved ones and to your country this year.
Happy holidays, Merry Christmas, stay safe, eat lots, and let’s make it through this season safely so that our new year and new chapter can be bright and filled with comfort and hope. So much love to all of you! Thank you to our front line workers, our essential workers, our family and friends and thank you to you for staying responsibly safe during this holiday season.
Comfort can be found in the simplest of things…
Love and light, Carrie xo
