Silver Linings

 An absolutely disastrous year is finally coming to a close. I had originally thought of calling this an uninspiring year, but quickly realized that would not be accurate. This was after all an inspirational year. We managed to boot a liar out of the office, health care and other essential workers ceaselessly inspire us, artists have found ways to continue producing art to not just document these horrific times but also remind us of better times in the past and look ahead to the future and we've all come to the realization that real meaningful connections are absolutely necessary for humanity! Finally, as I write this, vaccines for COVID are finally here.

I tried to make a list of my own personal silver linings and here they are

• Trump is out!
  
• Friends and family have thus far avoided the virus (we've lost two members of our extended family to covid in India but they had lived reasonably long happy lives and left us with lots of memories)
• I've managed to work throughout this time. The days are long and one day blends into another but am glad for the paycheck and the intellectual stimulation
  
• Time spent with my teenager knowing that she will be out of the home in a few years. As expected, we got on each other's nerves sometimes but as Robin Kimmerer reminded me "Mothering is like a net of living threads to lovingly encircle what it cannot possibly hold what will eventually move through it"
  
• Grateful that our teen is able to attend school in person at least two days a week
• I've read 30+ books this year and I am especially thankful for the Cosmere of Brandon Sanderson, Cromwell's inner world by Mantel and a number of nature and science books that have given me hope
  
• We got to experience our child doing live theater over zoom along with our family in multiple locations in the world
• Except for the weekly grocery store trips I didn't have to drive
• Spent a week among the Sequoias and am thankful for those giants still gracing the earth
• Although we were robbed, am glad we were safe and didn't lose too much
• Working out 5 days a week every week
• Take-out a few times a month
• Great British Bake Off, Merlin, Seinfeld, Kim's Convenience, Godless, Upstart Crow, Sherlock - some old favorites and some new shows that made us laugh, transported us to other worlds
  
• Nightly walks
• Online volunteering for the Audubon
  

Yes, I miss visits to museums, movie theaters and travel! I will miss going to Boston and NY for Christmas. Miss meeting with friends and eating out! But I am fully cognizant that these are minor inconveniences in the large scheme of things and I am aware of how blessed I am if that's all I miss. It also told me how little I truly need. Needs and wants came into full focus. As I write this post I am filled with gratitude and I hope to pay it forward as I know that many organizations need support as the public health crisis has become a personal one for countless people. As this is a season for gifts I wanted to wrap this post with another quote from Kimmerer

We are showered everyday with gifts, but they are not meant for us to keep. Their life is in their movement, the inhale and the exhale of our shared breath. Our work and our joy is to pass along the gift and to trust that what we put out in the universe will always come back.

So let me pass along a gift that was given to me. If you've never heard the Haudenosaunee Thanksgiving Address, here is my gift to you! A link to the full address in English