We are all in mourning

We are all going through a very tough time right now. And to some extent we are all mourning.

We may not all be grieving the same thing or the same person but we are all suffering a loss. At the very least, we are mourning the loss of things we may have taken for granted before this pandemic. 

I can list so many losses that I am personally feeling:

The loss of a hug. 

The loss of companionship. 

The loss of being able to pick out my own groceries.

I have missed birthdays and lunches and dinners with friends and family.

I have missed the funeral of my own mother.

Sadly, there are those who now face an empty chair at the table. Maybe the person died from Covid. Maybe they didn't. It doesn't matter. The loss is real nonetheless. And they probably weren't able to be there at the last to say good-bye. Another loss.

And now the holidays are upon us and they are different this year too. I don't feel the jolly so much this year and have told friends and family I won't be doing presents. Instead, the money will go to charities that are suffering. I have urged them to do the same. I probably won't decorate - or at the least scale it back.  Next year will be better.

But in the meantime, we mourn. And because we mourn, we should take extra good care of ourselves this season. Be less critical of ourselves and others. Let the small things go. If we have learned nothing else this year, we have learned what matters. And while money matters when you need to pay the rent and put food on the table, after that it's the little things that are important. So, maybe Covid has taught us something. I know it has definitely helped me reassess values.

So, yes, we are all mourning in some way. I pray we find peace.

Namaste.