Welcome to December 2021

All I did was blink and suddenly it’s the end of 2021. 

As we are in the middle of the holiday season, I hope all of my readers (yes that includes you) are doing well. It’s the second year we face spending the season with the shadow of the pandemic hovering over us. 

Very random snowmen decorations along a wooded path near my home.

2021 has been a hard year…and it seems to keep getting harder. 

My greatest wish this holiday season is for a period of stability and peace in my life - something I haven’t really had since the end of 2018. Things have been rough. I thought 2020 would be the worst, but I took a (figurative) beating in 2021. I don’t even want to speculate about 2022.

My hope is that the season brings a little more kindness, especially to those in need. That we are all able to celebrate the good things and don’t dwell on the negative. May joy and love be spread.

Some of us get “blue” at this time of year. I tend to be one of those people. It could be because it’s dark outside and I get less vitamin D, it could be the forced upon cheer from every angle, or it could be perhaps that my shoes are too tight.

Don’t worry, I’m not planning on stealing Christmas or Hanukkah. 

Times have been hard and it’s not clear when they’ll get easier (or if they’ll ever get easier). What I can do for me is to be kinder to myself. The same can go for you. If you haven’t put up any decorations yet, that’s okay. I didn’t get my tree up until today (and some of my decorations have already fallen from where I hung them up yesterday).

If you can get out of your house or apartment, do so. I’m still going on daily walks and making plans for outings that will cheer me up. I’ve found a community performance of the Nutcracker to go to with a friend and a holiday lights show to drive through. These things are small, but they give me something to look forward to.

2021 has felt like an extension to 2020. So much has happened and the pandemic feels never ending. Money is tight, the job market weird (yes that’s the word I’m choosing), and politics (at least in the US) are driving me insane.

Maybe a little holiday season is what we all need.

Remember to check in with yourself. Sometimes small things are just as grand as big ones. Give yourself things to look forward to. And be kind.

Until next week.

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