Week #318 – Procrastinator Alert: It’s Mid-October (Do you know where your Thanksgiving is…or will be?)
Greetings All — and Happy Friday!!!
I’m taking this month of October to look ahead. Maybe too far ahead for some — but as I said last week, in this pandemic-year-of-all-years we need all the help we can get to set ourselves up for some kind of enjoyment!
Last week I reminded you to think ahead to Halloween so that you’re ready to squeeze the most fun out of this year’s limitations.
This week, I want to look ahead to that Thanksgiving 4-day (sometimes 5-day) weekend. Because what is normally a cozy, pre-craziness, together time for families might feel VERY different this year for many reasons:
First of all, you may have lost a member of your family this year. On top of everything else we’ve been through collectively, individual grieving in the middle of pandemic isolation and shut down has it’s very own set of challenges. If this is your situation, my heart goes out to you. Take it slow and easy on yourself — and others.
Second, you may have lost a job or income — or have taken on added financial obligations to care for someone else. This could put its own pressure on a LONG weekend normally spent shopping, eating, or traveling. All the more reason to plan ahead and establish boundaries early. If travel is out of the question, let people know quickly. If large gatherings are not in the budget, reconsider your hosting arrangement (maybe a potluck?) or pass the baton to someone else happy to receive it. And if Covid restrictions have you and your immediates holed-up at home, now is a great time to plan your menus and figure out “what’s for dinner” while you still have a moment to think for yourself! 🙂 (Otherwise, maybe assign a night to each member of your family to make something — or make other arrangements!)
Third, maybe you just miss your family and the way things used to be. The Pandemic Blues are a real thing…most of us accepted stay-at-home orders, we adapted to masks, we learned to recoil from hugs and handshakes. One LONG weekend may be more than we can shoulder alone at this point. If this is you, reach out to friends who may be in the same situation. Make plans to take walks, host a happy hour (outside, of course), or gather in whatever socially distant way feels comfortable and safe for you. But don’t go it alone!
Fourth, maybe you’ve just had A LOT of together time already and are looking to get away or get a change of scenery. You won’t be alone in that, for sure! Now is the time to think about where you want to go, where you could go, how you would get there, and what you need to do to make that happen. Who knows? Maybe this Thanksgiving turns out to be the best one yet!
Sorry if it bums you out talking about Thanksgiving already…but this year-of-all-years, it will be necessary to plan ahead, so that we can anticipate and enjoy the season that much more.
I’m willing to give it a try…are you?
Your Happyness Challenge for the Week Ahead: Plan your Thanksgiving 4- or 5-day weekend now! Walk yourself through each day, maybe even in reverse, and think through (or discuss) how you want to spend them. This year promises to look very different than any other. Now is the time to seek out that which is important (or familiar) to you and your family — and put a plan in place to make sure you get more of THAT to start this holiday season!
Spread Happyness — tell me, how do you plan to spend this year’s Thanksgiving Weekend?
10/16/20 by Grace Church
© Grace Church
grace@spreadhappyness.com