Subscribe to continue reading
Become a paid subscriber to get access to the rest of this post and other exclusive content.
Here comes Fall!
Tag: thankful
Is It Time To Be Thankful Yet?
So, Thanksgiving just passed. Did we all remember to be thankful, or did we get mired down in complaining about not seeing the usual volume of family members and bemoan the current status of the COVID pandemic? I think that a lot of people fell into the second category, if they are being honest. I admit that, even though I have realized all of my current blessings, I still fall prey to the diffuse and sometimes oppressive fatigue of depression that has followed me around for the last 9 months, despite all my best efforts. This begs the question then, when is it time to be thankful? The answer is: RIGHT NOW! For a lot of us, things aren’t really going our way and haven’t for a long time. The economy is tough. Family relations are strained. Family members have been lost. People are fed up and spend a little too much time like little powder kegs ready to blow at the slightest opportunity for conflict. On top of that, the capacity for empathy is not so great right now. I have to admit that, even my standards for thankfulness have had to be lowered a bit just to keep things in perspective and convince myself that I am not “reaching too high.” …lol. Still, I am above ground, I have a family to miss, I have my health ( most days), and I still get to do what I love and take care of people. Essentially, it is all I really need so you betcha I am thankful. Don’t let me kid you. I have ” days” like everyone else. I am still human. We are all feeling the struggle right now. It’s a normal human response to the sense of loss of control and freedom. But, just when you feel that whine coming on I urge you to think twice before you do it. There is always the possibility that someone is worse off than you.
Dr. Katz
It was still a good Easter.
Yes I said it. Easter was still good. I saw everybody posting in despair about not being able to see family members. Umm. Unless you live alone, you still saw some family members right? Or, even if you do live alone, there is still skype, facetime, zoom, etc. You can still see people that way. Yes, you can’t hug or touch them, but we are not supposed to right now anyway remember? It’s a saving lives thing? So, even if you were able to get close enough to see them, it would still be like a tease because you couldn’t go up an grab ’em like you want so what would be the point?
Anyway, moving on. Like I said, Easter was still good. We still had good food. We still enjoyed the company of just the four of us: my husband, myself, and our two daughters. We ate at the dining room table with no cell phones. My husband did all the cooking! We formed a group chat with the relatives. We still had an Easter egg hunt. I still left baskets out for my teenagers with chocolate and goodies….and autographed pictures of the Easter Bunny of course. We still decorated eggs. We still stopped to remember what the day is really about and gave appropriate thanks. No, we did not attend a live church service. No, we did not go to a big family party. We just laid low. It was a great excuse to not wear a bra and stay in pajamas all day. I don’t think I even showered as a matter of fact, not because I was depressed about COVID or angry at the Governor, but because I just didn’t have anywhere to go. The pressure was off. That’s a plus in my book.
On a side note, we groomed the dogs out of desperation. That really just reminded me of how indispensable our groomer really is and how much I respect her for keeping safety in mind and also laying low right now. Both are dogs now look like a five year old took the kindergarten scissors to them with no supervision. Hey I tried ok? I mean, they don’t seem upset about it. I didn’t cut anything I wasn’t supposed to. There was no biting, blood, or whining. As a matter of fact, at one point they just laid down and surrendered because I think they realize that all other options had been exhausted. So, I am gonna take that as a win…for now. But the second the groomer is back in business I will be begging at her door and bringing bribes…lol.
I think the thing that I enjoyed the most is that the four of us were together all day long. My 16 year old even made an appearance instead of lurking in her room. We had great conversations. We admired our own handiwork in literally every room of the house that is now organized and purged for the first time in like seven years. Whoo! I took the time to just look at my kids and my husband and listen to them and soak up every minute. These things seem so small and trivial, but I treasured every one of them. They all remind me of how precious and wonderful life is and how we should never take even the smallest thing for granted. Hope everyone had a meaningful and happy Easter!
Dr. Katz