2021 will end as it started, in the miseries of the pandemic. This time around, we really didn’t see it coming. COVID-19 had been lurking around all fall, but with minimal adjustment we had lived with our normal activities.
Getting bombarded with bad news the week before Christmas is a big blow. To be told that we won’t be able to celebrate and get together normally this year is an even harder shock.
To support oneself
Whether your gatherings are four, six or ten, the challenge this year will be to focus on these people. How are they doing? Two years of pandemic have spawned several. The most anxious find it difficult to navigate these periods of turbulence and uncertainty.
The older ones have lived their share of isolation. They were also under this pressure to be the most at risk if the virus unfortunately reached them. The youngest are also struggling. All the constraints imposed are unnatural when you are 15 or 20 years old. Several young people have also aged quickly in this hypervigilance.
Beyond a tradition or a gastronomic impulse, these holiday gatherings should first provide an opportunity to make people feel that we are there for each other. In short, the challenge of this Christmas will be to focus full attention on those present, rather than those absent. Forcing yourself to live the moment to the fullest rather than feeling sorry for what might have been under other circumstances.
The challenge will also be to talk about something other than COVID-19. “The government is doing too much! He’s not doing enough! He should have acted faster! In the United States, it’s worse! In France, it’s better! We have had these discussions over and over again for two years. I suggest a holiday break.
The temptation to anticipate
Living in the moment also means avoiding the natural temptation to anticipate too much. What does COVID-19 have in store for us in 2022? If there is one thing that we have understood after two years of the pandemic, it is that we do not know what awaits us.
The optimistic version is that Omicron would be the final variant of the pandemic. Extremely contagious, but less severe, it will go around the track super fast with limited damage in terms of disease and mortality. By packing the more dangerous variants, it would begin the end of the global pandemic.
The pessimistic version, Omicron is just another variant, less severe, but so much more contagious that it will fill our hospitals even more. And during the year, other variants of the same ilk will disrupt our lives.
The greatest experts cannot anticipate with precision. So no need to waste our evenings trying to anticipate …
One day at a time !
So let’s take full advantage of the presence of each person. Let us take advantage of the family reunions that will be possible to fill up with comfort.
From the bottom of my heart, I wish you a very Merry Christmas!