Our world stopped about 2 weeks before Christmas, my daughter caught COVID, despite our careful mask-wearing and distancing, and working from home, it came to our family. Honestly, I haven’t been so scared in my life for my daughter and for the health of our family. But we learned a lot over these past few weeks, about how to take care of each other, the importance of leaning on family and friends, and the importance of rest, both mental and physical in the healing process. In hindsight, we were incredibly lucky. She is recovering relatively quickly, did not require hospitalization, and the rest of the family tested negative. But what a whirlwind of emotions from fear to blessing for our health.
I guess the biggest lesson from all of this has been the realization that the virus is bigger than all of us. No matter how over it we feel, or how much we want things to go back to normal, that just can’t happen right now. The financial impact on all of us is real, but so is the impact created when you or someone you love falls ill. My son was an invaluable resource, helping us navigate symptoms and the do’s and don’ts of care for my daughter and for ourselves. Bottom line, we are fortunate to be able to work from home, to isolate as needed and stay apart to keep it from spreading. So many people don’t have that option, and that is why this virus continues to spread. It really is as simple as wash your hands, stay home, stay six feet, wear a mask. But that it seems, is impossible for many people to do. Some by choice, going out into the world without a mask, without regard for others. And for some, they go to work every day for us, masked up, and. guarded, at risk every day. So do what you can to keep people safe.
We spent our winter holidays apart from our family and friends so we can be together next year. Hanukkah and Christmas were not the big gatherings we are used to. Our home is usually filled with dinner parties, latke making, and cookie exchanges. Dinners are on a grand scale and chaos is the norm. It was suddenly quiet and slow. So I looked to find some sort of normal, writing more holiday cards, decorating our space more than usual, trying to find joy. Once I got the green light testing negative and waiting a few days, I was able to bake up a storm, keeping that holiday tradition alive. I created 10 boxes of holiday treats, dropping them off with neighbors and friends, sharing a little bit of tradition and joy. I haven’t doorbell dashed in quite a while, and it inspired others to do the same, with fun little visits from a distance, remembering that people are more important than things.
This next week will be spent clearing out the old, and planning for the new. Every year we look for new beginnings, and I think this year we are posting a lot of hope on the new year, and we need to make sure that we take every action to make positive change. 2020 was a year like no other, but what we have learned and how we move forward will determine what happens in the year ahead. Merry Christmas friends.