Dear Reader–
Here we are at the end of another year devastated by COVID and the variants.
People are emotionally frayed, hair-trigger impatient, and more than slightly nuts. Kids are caught in the middle between what is safe, and what adults believe. Their education and social development are spotty and disrupted. Supply chains are missing links, leaving so much unreliable or unavailable. Millions of people are quitting their jobs. Mental illness, depression, loneliness and suicide are spiking. Plus the continuous climate catastrophes that have orchestrated this past year have made 2021 a perfect dystopia. Am I safe to say that nothing is normal anymore?
Yes, everything is broken, but still we must carry on. I decided not buy gifts this year. And instead to reclaim normal by writing holiday cards with messages inside. They are a gift by themselves. I am devoted to my list. Presently, I am half way through, and I still have nearly 2 weeks left before Christmas.
I have walled out the news, and am putting my focus on writing letters of appreciation to my friends. If you are feeling a bit strange this holiday season, I recommend that you buy a few seasonal cards and write a card or three. It is my way of reclaiming normal, I’ll bet it will work for you, too.
Or, if cards aren’t your thing, find something that feels somewhat normal to you, and do it.
With good cheer,
Carol