The Most Wonderful Time

If you’re like me, December came as a surprise. One second it was Halloween, the next it’s past time to set up the tree.

I know that as you get older, time seems to pass more quickly, but this is crazy. I do have a theory: As bad as 2020 was, 2021 was no better. Covid 2.0 has, much to the surprise of many, been worse than the first. More people are dying, fewer people are taking precautions. Nationally and internationally, t’s been another raging dumpster fire in many ways. So what can we do?

We can have hope. We can have wishes.

Hope for all people, far and wide, to have what we need to have a basic quality of life: food, clean water, shelter, access to medical care. Hope that we get a reasonable handle on our environmental crisis—not for us, but for those who will come behind us. Hope that we recognize that our differences make us stronger, not weaker. Hope that rights for all are recognized, validated and upheld—For men, women, straight , gay, cis-gender or transgender, young and old, no matter race, religion or ethnicity.

Of course, hope requires effort. Let’s do the work. My wish for each of us is that we have the vision and energy we need.

Onward to 2022.

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The Meaning of Christmas Cards

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Christmas cards are among the things I like most about the Christmas season. There was a time we received nearly 100 cards each year. It was the one time I could look forward to hearing from far flung family members, old school friends, and people who shared my work or other interests. As a bonus many would be accompanied by newsletters, photos, or other extras. It was how we stayed connected to people in our lives whom we seldom saw.

These days I am disappointed at the number of cards that we find in our mailbox. There are many reasons, I know. People died, people moved and lost touch, and people’s lives changed. We have added new ones but somehow our world still feels smaller.

I think cards have become more important as covid has changed so many things that normally make up our behavior. We don’t shop at stores in person, so I really miss all the bright decorations. We don’t attend holiday parties. Our only contact with our neighbors is a wave from the driveway and appreciating their holiday decorations from afar. There is little in my day- to -day life that sets this time apart from any other.

I hope that cards and newsletters make a comeback. They take more effort than some people are willing to put in, but a card with a personal note says that you mean something to someone. And I, for one, consider each and every card a gift from a friend.

Do you send holiday cards?

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Grief is an Interesting Emotion

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This past week, I discovered that my beloved chiropractor died. His passing stunned me. He was in his forties, healthy and fit by all reports. He died nonetheless.

The day I received the news, I was numb, in utter disbelief. By the time I woke up the next morning, life itself felt surreal. As that second day passed, my sadness, raw as it was, brought to the surface my despair at having lost my sister 4 years ago, and my despondency at Prince’s untimely, senseless death. grief welled up inside me and came out in a torrent. I cried for two more days.

I’m grateful that my partner somehow understands me and tethers me when I feel like I’m drifting. There was a moment where I wailed in lament that life is so fragile and I’ve wasted mine. She said…

“You didn’t waste it—I don’t know what I would have done without you.”

That sweet sentence starting my climb from the abyss. I’m good today, but I’ll carry with me an important observation. No, more than an observation, a truth: Life is fragile. Take great care of yourself, and also live each day as if it could be your last. And tell people you love and appreciate them at every opportunity.