I was a brave one who ventured out to spend Thanksgiving with family on the other side of the country.
With significant investments already made and promises by all to test and report back before boarding any plane, we took the risk.
After spending months in relative isolation in my home on the hill, it was so lovely to be with our adult kids! I absolutely adored taking in the “new” environment—San Francisco and Sonoma—appreciating the “painted ladies,” the redwoods, cedars and olive trees, the acres of fall-colored vineyards, and the truly wild and frothy coast.
Now I’m hunkered down for a couple of weeks to make sure I come away “clean” from my gutsy adventure. And, as I begin to write this December missive—listening to the blustery wind and watching stormy clouds roll by—I feel a soft mix of gratitude and grief.
Gratitude for what I have and what I’ve manifested in 2020 despite the constraints and concerns brought on by the pandemic and our country’s political roller coaster. Gratitude for my health (thus far!) Gratitude for my beautiful surroundings. And yes, even gratitude for ZOOM!
Grief for the loss of freedoms, for the contractions in activity, for not being able to see smiles and easily be with friends, fellow dancers and colleagues. Grief that we’ve become wary of being in each other’s physical presence. Grief for so many facing real hardships and serious loss!
It’s a pensive, gentle day.
Many of you opened a recent sequence of emails with my first ever Black Friday offering. I called it “Muddy Boots” because it includes a leadership development course that I have yet to design! And, I’ll deliver it for the first time in January.
As I think about it, “Muddy Boots” is a pretty good way to describe 2019!
Life is uncertain anyway, but this year we’ve had the truth of uncertainty flashing in our faces like a neon sign!
Every one of us has had to rise to the challenge of adapting, changing, and negotiating something new. At one point or at many points during this past year, we’ve had to put on our “muddy boots,” pluck up our courage and move ahead, because moving ahead was the only choice we had!
It’s not easy to be slogging through uncertainty with our muddy boots. And this strange mix of gratitude and grief sure comes with the territory.
And we are not finished yet. Our trek is ongoing.
Let us remember that this is a challenging time for everyone. We can’t always know how easily or painfully those muddy boots feel on another person’s feet.
Let us be kind! Let us be thoughtful, and willing to listen and learn. Let us realize that many are grappling with grief on some level. It may be low-grade. A person may not be fully aware of it, and yet know they aren’t at their best, or able to give their best.
As we trek along this December, I hope you will love yourself A LOT with gratitude!
And love others, too! Gift them your gratitude. It’s a healing balm for grief.
I invite us all to LEAD with gifts of gratitude this month. It is a powerful act for yourself, your family and friends, and for the world—truly—in this time.
Yours on the Journey,
Martha