Such crazy times. Such scary times. I’ve been off the grid (blog-wise) for a spell…some of it due to a work blitz, some of it due to the noise and tension of an election (thank you results), some of it due to general weariness. It’s felt like the planet is off its axis, and at any moment we’re going to be flung off into a black hole.

But then something good happens…you see a beautiful tree with crimson leaves. Or you watched an adorable toddler dressed up for Halloween shriek with joy. Maybe you literally breathed a sigh of relief when a test came back from the doctor and you didn’t have whatever it is you feared you might have.

Tiny moments that can loom large. We’re all seeing how we really don’t have control over anything but our own actions. We can’t control crazy people in power. We can’t control our neighbors. We can’t control what anyone else thinks.

But we can control how we impact someone else. We can put on a mask.

We can stand far enough away from someone to be safe. We can stop and think that maybe, hugging right now isn’t a good idea. We can decide to take the tough road now, so that maybe a year from now we can get back to enjoying so many things we’re missing now.

It’s so easy to forget our powerlessness. Until something happens. A recent unexpected bout of vertigo tapped me on the head and for about a week, I was most definitely off balance. Unsteady on my feet and frustrated I couldn’t do some of the things I wanted to do. Reminded me once again just how fragile our health and our lives are.

I improved. I kept working and living and came through it okay. But some people out there right now are not doing so well. They’re on ventilators, in pain, scared, exhausted. They deserve our help, even if it’s just to wear the damn mask.

I didn’t like feeling dizzy. I knew how much worse it would be if I also had a virus on top of it. I was grateful that was not the case. But who knows what is coming in the months ahead.

Thanksgiving is traditionally a time of coming together, being grateful, and celebrating who we are. We can still do that, even if some of us are alone in our homes. There’s so much to appreciate. Next year, maybe we’ll be more tolerant of our weird Uncle Lou’s bad jokes or how Aunt Fern alway burns the pie. We’ll just be so glad to be together, and alive.

So have a wonderful holiday, however that looks for you. And don’t be a turkey. Gratitude is good for your health. SO IS WEARING A MASK.

“Do what is right, not what is easy.”

Anonymous