When I celebrated my 60th birthday in early 2020 with friends, we laughingly raised our glasses and toasted each other with the encouraging words, “Here’s to the best year yet”.
You’re probably saying, “Well, that one hasn’t aged well, has it?”
You’d point to the coronavirus and the havoc it has played in our lives and around the globe. You might bring up the political strife south of our Canadian borders and the economic hardships felt in many countries around the world. You could present climate change, racial discrimination, and a myriad of other ailments afflicting our planet right now.
On one level, I’d have to bow my head in acknowledgement of the suffering that many are experiencing.
None of us has been exempt. As I faced the closure and re-opening of my business, not knowing if I’d survive economically, my stress was palpable. As I watched the news every night, praying for low infection numbers, I knew thousands of people were mourning the loss of their loved ones and I prayed for them and the safety of those I held dear.
But you can hold onto fear for only so long. Eventually you realize that freedom is more important than fear.
I’m not talking about physical freedom as much as emotional freedom. People can be in prison and experience freedom in their inner being. Others can live in palaces and feel so restricted they can barely stand it.
The circumstances of our lives do not dictate how free we are. Freedom, I’m convinced, is an inside job.
As we approach Thanksgiving, I’m grateful for more things this year than any other year on record: My health; my bubble of friends; my family and those closely connected who supported us and kept us sane and safe; my business which after two months of closure was able to reopen, move forward and stay afloat.
I’m grateful every day for the beautiful island surroundings in which I live; the seclusion and peace of my home.
While the pandemic has restricted us in many ways, it’s opened doors to connect with new people. For someone who isn’t comfortable with new social experiences, this took a little effort but the result is that I have made some meaningful connections with people I would have never met in normal circumstances.
So this Thanksgiving is bringing with it a confidence from having made it this far amid a global pandemic, and heartfelt gratitude for everything in my life.
Yes, everything.