It is Thanksgiving in 2020. For so many around the globe, this year has been a dumpster fire.
We have all been affected by this virus in some way, whether it is inconvenient and mild or unbelievably deep and heavy. As I write this, my four kids and I should be packing for our Florida Keys trip, an escape we have been looking forward to for a long time. For me it has been four years of waiting, struggling, working tirelessly, going through a hard divorce and moving and selling our house this year and finally feeling on top and with my head above water that I booked a trip to celebrate reaching the goals I set out for myself and to toast how far we have all have come and all that they have done to help get us here and to go somewhere warm where we could have a real adventure.
But one of my kids tested positive for COVID two days ago.
It started with her not being able to smell on Thursday night. I was in denial. That is a symptom of a COLD. Colds still happen. You are fine. We are all fine. We deserve this trip. We have earned this trip. No one here is allowed to get COVID. NOPE. But the virus did not get the memo. My daughter was relentless (thankfully) about getting tested. We were still driving home when we got the positive result.
I had to grieve for a minute. Well many minutes honestly.
My kids have been a saving grace. They like to quarantine. They love pajamas and have recently gotten into Survivor (thank you Netflix for having ALL of the seasons). They know we will travel again when the world is less fragile and more open and normal. Seeing how they reacted with grace made me realize that I was the one acting like a child and gave me the strength to make all of the cancellation (or as we like to call them postponement) calls.
And as my 13-year old told me yesterday, “Just think about it. It’s not like we have to go to war or anything. We really just have to stay at home. Other people have it so much worse.”
We have reached the age where my kids are officially smarter than me.
Which brings me to gratitude. In a time where it feels somewhat harder to remember what we are grateful for, it is now more important than ever to remember that gratitude is still present and plentiful. Here is what I am most thankful for in 2020:
- My kids. Obviously this one is a no-brainer. But what I am most thankful for is how strong and resilient and gracious they are. They actually shock me daily on how brilliant they are and my god, I am so lucky that they were born to me. Yes, they have their moments as do I, as we all do in this wild human race. But their resiliency? Forget it. Top notch.
- Netflix. I mean these are in no particular order but this was immediately one of my top five easy. Thank you for your endless entertainment and for having holiday movies that range from mild Hallmark style with holiday sweaters that end with an obvious kiss G rated tales to sweary inappropriate Bad Moms Christmas flicks. Thank you for seeing us. You complete us.
- My friends. Okay obviously I love them more than Netflix. I love them more than wine. I love them more than words. I don’t know how I would have survived the last few years without them and I thank my lucky stars every day that I have these tribes that have me right back.
- Online delivery services. I mean what a time to be alive. Contactless delivery? YES PLEASE. What unsung heroes we have among us. Local shops and restaurants deliver too my friends and I am here for it.
- My career. I love my career as a real estate agent, not just because it helps fund number 4 and the upcoming adventure Keys trip that will happen one day down the road, but because it has helped save my life. For 12 years I was a stay at home and just started three years ago and am so thankful to have the flexibility to be with my kids and work around their schedules and I am able to help people with their next home chapters and it is so wonderfully gratifying to hand someone the keys to their future. That feeling will never be a small thing for me. And it has literally pulled me from the trenches and given me new life to support my family.
- Memes. The internet has really stepped up its game in 2020. From quarantine to politics to everything between, thank you for reminding us that laughter is truly what unifies us and what we all need sometimes most in life. Well done internet, well done.
- Breathing. Not to get all serious after following the meme category but if you are able to take a deep breath in and out at this moment, you are in fact, lucky. I am grateful to do this right now. I am grateful that my daughter isolated in her room across the hall who wears a mask to go to the bathroom, can still do that right now. She currently has lost her sense of scent and taste but the deep breathing is still there. And hopefully will remain. She’s young and the odds are ever in her favor. Not everyone is this lucky.
- All the frontline workers. They were thanked so much in the beginning, remember? Well now the virus is worse. So much worse. I read something recently from a nurse that said thank you but we don’t need your applause or your pizza but we do need you to wear a mask if we ever expect this to get better. Thank you, heroes, for all that you do.
- For saying no and breaking some rules. This year taught us probably more than any other that simplifying our lives and saying no was priceless. Focusing on what was most important- health, family, each other- took center stage and we are all the better for it. Perfect attendance is no longer glorified. Teachers and nurses and doctors were seen more heroic than professional athletes at long last. This year has given us permission to start new traditions and let go of the ones that no longer serve us. Don’t want to make a whole giant meal with a turkey for Thanksgiving for your small family? Don’t. You don’t have to. I most definitely will not be but we will probably watch Survivor in our pajamas and eat something simple off of paper plates. And we will be every bit as happy. Saying no to the things that are just noise and not important, we can now allow ourselves to let go of. Instead let’s fill our time with what and who we love. I hope that we carry this in the days and years to come.
I guess it is an unconventional list in an unconventional year. But hopefully we will not only remember the lessons taught this year, but to even be thankful for them. So, carry on strong ones and please don’t forget to wear a damn mask. Our future literally depends on it. Hold your people tight this Thanksgiving and always.
Katie’s essay and tangent collection about motherhood, life and imperfection, Happy Broken Crayons is available on Amazon now. Thank you for reading. You are the (queen) bees knees. Happy happy holidays and happy happy new year to you. In setting your hopes for 2018, please think about your word. I can’t wait to hear it. Xoxo
To read more blogs by Katie Moore click here.
Katie Yackley Moore is a freelance writer, real estate agent, yoga instructor and a momma of four navigating life and a separation and finding herself in the process. She adores coffee shops, laughing until it hurts and impromptu dance parties. Her work has appeared on Scary Mommy, Mamalode and HuffPost Parents. She has published a journal entitled “Dream a Bigger Dream” and the children’s books “You Are a Warrior” and “We are Family” and just finished her first novel. Catch up with her between tea breaks at The Naked Momma and on Facebook.