This past year, especially these past nine months, have been a new type of exhausting that I was not aware I could experience. In this season typically filled with celebrations and gathering with loved ones, whether that be family or friends, this new form of exhaustion is amplified. We are not able to gather and mourn or reflect with those we hold close right now, and that is rightfully tiring. Even though we are not able to celebrate and give thanks in the ways we are used to, it is still important to acknowledge the things that I am grateful for, despite the uncertainty and exhaustion this year has brought.
First and foremost, I would like to point out the obvious and cliché, but I am deeply thankful for my health and the health of those who I love. This past year has been filled with loss, but I am beyond thankful for those who I still have with me and that I was fortunate enough to know and love some of those that are no longer with me. Even though I am unable to gather with my friends this holiday season I am so thankful that all of us are healthy and able to do virtual Friendsgiving celebrations and that I am able to spend Thanksgiving in some form or another with those who are most important to me, my dogs (and my family and friends too, I guess). I encourage everyone to send a little extra virtual love this season of giving and thanks because if there’s any lesson I have learned in my short twenty years of life, it is to be thankful for who we have with us right now and thankful to have known those who are no longer with us. If you are able to do so safely, please give all your loved ones an extra hug, but if you’re like me and are a large distance from a lot of the people you love or unable to physically see them safely because of the pandemic, virtual hugs are great too.
Secondly, I am beyond thankful for the ability to have ways to connect with people virtually. Even though I hate Zoom with a burning passion, I can’t help but be a little sentimental because I could not imagine making it through this pandemic without (minimum) weekly FaceTimes with my best friends and the ability to see everyone that I care for virtually. I had to move back home because San Francisco is insanely expensive, as we all know, which means seeing almost all of my friends socially distanced was no longer a possibility, so I am grateful for the ability to see their low quality faces with my terrible wifi connection.
Finally, I am so thankful for the fact that I have people worth missing. I could go on for pages about how great my friends are, but I am extremely grateful for the fact that I have found people that I can miss so dearly. Friends that I could talk on the phone with for hours then miss their voice the second they hang up, people who’s close proximity I miss dearly, and for the fact that I have friends that can make me feel loved and close to them despite being upwards of 500 miles away. I am beyond thankful that despite all of the uncertainty a pandemic has brought, I know I have my people and that my people know they have me.
These past nine months have been exhausting, but hopefully everyone is able to find some peace, get some rest, and give thanks. Happy Thanksgiving!