Robert Burns had it right when he wrote “The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry.”
December is supposed to be a great month. A month of holidays and celebration. Good friends, good eats, good times. I was looking forward to my annual tropical vacation! And normal hours at work. And weekends and after-hours fun with family and friends. Holiday traditions would be followed. New traditions would be started. It was going to be an awesome holiday season!
Really, not so much.
A weekend getaway to start the month was great… until a canceled return flight threw everything awry. My annual tropical vacation was canceled for a 10-day business trip instead… that resulted in 19-hour work days. Every. Day. And somehow, I found myself at 11:00 am on December 23rd. Depressed. Exhausted. Behind schedule.
All I wanted for Christmas?
A hug. A few words of kindness. A nap.
A really long nap.
There’s no magical end to this tale. I made it through the holiday weekend with a little help -- and a lot of faith. :-) Which is to say that sometimes you just have to put on your coat and go out the front door. Lose yourself in spending time with others. 24-hours hanging out with my two favorite houseguests helped – even if we still didn’t get much sleep. Christmas Eve dinner at my house was deferred until another day, and we all heaved a sigh of relief to have a few extra hours back for our other preparations. Christmas presents were wrapped on Christmas morning, which worked out just fine. They were gleefully shared on Christmas evening after family dinner. And Boxing Day included morning Church, afternoon reading a book, and an early bedtime.
Sometimes, we just get by with what we can do.
Christmas morning, I went to visit a close family member recovering from major surgery in the hospital ICU. Only to discover he had been discharged the night before. Well enough to go home? That’s something to be grateful for. And reminds me that I have so much more to be grateful for too…
A job, when this time last year I was losing one. A home, when in the Spring I wasn’t sure what the options would be. Good health, when family are battling cancer and friends are suffering the flu and other winter ailments. More friends and family, who sent cheer and love in holiday cards and photos. Good times past… and many schemes for new grand adventures in the future. And maybe a few good holiday eats courtesy of a few good cooks. :-)
When you stop to count your blessings, December may not have been such a bad month after all. There's so much in life to be grateful for each and every day.
But I’m still glad this month is almost over.
Welcome January!