So this is going to be a long one... but as it goes, what will be will be.
This year will officially be my first year celebrating the winter holiday season with you, and I couldn't be more excited. From October throught to January, it's a time for gathering, for spending time with loved ones, for gratitude and appreciation for all we have in our lives, and all we have experienced. This year seems to be even more special.
With the threat of Covid19 and all it came with over the past two years, it's been nothing short of stressful, tiresome and unrelenting. And now, it finally feels as though things are beginning to look somewhat normal again. We are finally starting to see family and friends we are finally able to visit shops and restaurants, and we are starting to feel a sense of relief after a long and confusing rollercoaster ride of emotional turbulence.
I get it. This Pandemic has been a wild and crazy time for all of us. Never in a million years did I think I would live to witness something like this. But in a way, it has made me even more grateful for the people I have in my life and the amazing journey I have had. To say its been eye opening would be a massive understatement.
The pandemic has taught me a lot. And I would like to share some of that with you, given the time of year it is, and the inspiration that it brings.
Its taught me patience. Sometimes life looks completely different than what I thought it would look like. Sometimes it doesn't even carry a resemblance to the way I thought I would be living my life. Sometimes, it even tests me by throwing curveballs when I am least expecting it. This time around though, I have learned to take them as they come. I have learned to duck, to dive and to catch what I can, and do with it what it allows, no more and no less.
It has taught me love. The emotional, mental and physical toll the pandemic has taken on myself, my loved ones and my community is astounding. The amount of fear, change and constant confusion has humbled me greatly and has taught me to meet people where they are at. It has opened my eyes and my heart to understand that not everyone loves, grieves and processes things the same way. Not everyones story looks the same, or even remotely similar. And not everyone has been given the same resources, chances or experiences in life. It has taught me that no matter what I do, I must love. If there is no love, there is no life. So what is the point if you aren't living for life and love?
It has taught me things aren't always as they seem. In good times and bad, nothing is as it seems. Everything is based on perspective. And even then, one's perspective may differ greatly from anothers', and therefore the exact same event could look so different from one person to the next that it might as well be a completely different event all together. In the end, nothing is ever as it seems. And this has allowed me to accept everything as it is, and then let it go as it does.
In my personal life and experience, this pandemic has not only caused turmoil and distress, it has also brought a sense of thoughtfulness, gratitude and peace. Because in times of despair, times of struggle and times of pain, come moments of clarity, resolution and change. And isn't that all we are asking for? Clarity and change? I think so... Because if we have some sort of clarity that brings about change, isn't that in itself growth and evolution?
So this holiday season, I hope you hug your loved ones extra tight and be grateful for every moment spent with them, I hope you find peace and joy in the changes that come, I hope you find clarity through the tears and struggles that may be, and I hope that whatever happens in your life in the coming months, you live for life and love in all you do.