"The Gifts That Keep On Giving"

 

“It is a fair, even-handed, noble adjustment of things, that while there is infection in disease and sorrow, there is nothing in the world so irresistibly contagious as laughter and good humour.”
― Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol

     I have to admit that I am not necessarily putting a great deal of importance of Christmas this year but as I look out at the snow and birds feasting from the bird feeder outside, I am much more grateful than I have ever been.  We have to be careful when we say things like, "Thank God 2020 is almost behind us."  Given what the year has shown us, I am less inclined to wish away my days on earth.  They are going by fast enough and although this year has been incredibly difficult on so many levels, I will not wish my days away.  

     But Christmas is almost here and there are gifts that "keep on giving."  I am taking a slight pause to mention a few here:

• A dishwasher -  I am grateful for our dishwasher.  Being home each and every day since last March has made me REALLY grateful for the increasing number of dishes we go through because, well, we are cooking more!

• A washer and dryer - Yep, I have not worn out my sweats and sweatshirts...yet.  The rest of my clothes stay tucked in our closet waiting to be freed for the social activity that they once called for on a daily basis.  They still fit too!  

• The oven - There is nothing sexier than a man and a woman who can cook.  When neither King nor I feel like cooking and when that happens we are grateful for a fridge of leftovers or the take out from our favortie restaurants.  

• The bath tub - Let me just say for the record, that I can pretty much do without a great deal but the tub is clearly the single most essential therapy avaiable to us during this pandemic.  Epsom salt, baking soda and a loofah are essential to keeping our sanity...that,  and People magazine and hot water.  I am grateful for heat and hot water.  An occasional snack doesn't hurt either!  The company of our two "feline domesticuses" while bathing is also a much appreciated addition.  What can I say?  They like water.

     I am incredibly grateful for all of these things but more importantly, I am grateful for the company I keep.  My husband, my family, my friends, colleagues all have made an incredible impact on my life.  I let them in and they have proven more so each and every day, their courage, their strength and their love.  Without support, without our willingness to lean on each other and support each other we have very little hope.  An act of kindness, a thoughtful word and reaching out to those who pehaps can no longer fend for themselves is the single most important thing we can do for them and for our own salvation.  Every time we give of ourselves, we grow.  

     I have written many times about the gratitude of good health.  Most of us live, but do we pay attention to our bodies?  I recognize that for myself, awareness will be life-long process, pandemic or no pandemic.  Do we take the time to recognize the humor that comes with living with the good and the bad?  The saddest moments of my life have been perpetuated by my inability to accept the ulitmate finality of certain relationships, jobs.  Any life change can not be stopped.  Most change is inevitable.  I believe this is where most of us get into the crisis mode because we are not living in the moment.  When you live in the moment, you are able to problem solve.  You are capable of helping those in need in much more effective way.  I have learned that the hard way.  I can also accept the anger and frustration many carry when their lives are in turmoil or are suffering great pain or loss. Some will harbor the anger and frustration for their entire life. You will not behelpful during those times, if you are not living in the present. 

     The true gifts are the gifts that give us our sight and our ability to listen; that ability to think before we act and when we do, act with kindness. We are unable to prevent time from stopping or from going back to the past.  The trajectory of the past year has made an indelible mark on all of us. If we can let go of the past, then we are left with living one day, one moment at a time.   2021 will be hear soon enough.