The year is nearly over, and most of your resolutions you swore to act upon throughout 2022 fell by the wayside.
That’s OK.
For reasons out of your control, you’re not as certain of what the future holds as you once were. In fact, at this moment you are actively struggling to heed the advice of those who advocate taking things “day by day.” You find yourself agreeing with them when they say that scripting out large-scale goals to be achieved in the immediate is the quickest way to set yourself up for constant disappointment. Yet, you can’t seem to break from this mold, because it’s in your very nature.
That’s OK.
With the holidays having rolled back around, and with the world out of the “COVID woods,” so to speak, you recognize you’re the “odd-ball” of your extended family. You’re the over-analyzer who can’t help but find a moment at every gathering to let your eyes turn to empty chairs. Specifically, you tend to dwell on who could be sitting in those chairs, if only they were still here.
That’s OK.
Amidst the mad dash to the finish line of the Gregorian Calendar, the holiday season is often as festive in its intent as it is also an inspiration for seasonal depression’s unwelcome return to the surface. We need not overly remind those prone to hanging their head low during this time of the tired lines they’ve heard far too many times before. These days, it seems every month is devoted to mental health awareness in some capacity. Even still, with all the headway that has been made, people still can’t escape being detrimentally sucked in by something as paramount as social media.
The next time you scroll through the feed on a day that’s tough for you to celebrate for a variety of reasons, remember: that big happy family in the matching pajamas isn’t as picture-perfect as they are projecting. Family drama does not discriminate— it comes for us all.
Family, love and life is joy— but it’s also pain. To be the best version of yourself this next month plus, and to not repeat past poor performances of putting on a smiley front, also remember this: you are the opposite of alone. You came from somewhere. When you find your way out of your head, you’ve rejected neurosis override for the sake of the more-sacred-now-than-ever family come-together. With this breakthrough, you’ll learn selflessness is a dish best consumed at a (mostly) full table with everyone else meeting you halfway too— even those whose presence is now felt in absentia.
Don’t wait until the next holiday gathering or funeral to make amends or catch up with someone you can stand to speak a whole lot more with than you currently do. Talk to them this time like it’s the last time, and then make it your resolution in 2023 to keep up that pace. You don’t get to choose your family, but you do get to choose who’s in your inner circle. Be thankful and be grateful— you are blessed to have options. Many don’t get that luxury.
Life can be cruel. But it can also be beautiful. And instances confirming the latter can’t exist without the other side of the coin.
