As the holiday season starts and the end of the year approaches, it’s a good time to take stock of where we’ve been and what we have; to count our blessings, if you will. Some folks do this at Thanksgiving, some at Christmas, and others at New Year’s. Though this editor will no doubt have an end-of-year wrap-up, it’s not too early to start compiling thoughts.
For many, this has been an extremely tough year — nearly everyone knows someone who is unemployed, many know folks who are facing mortgage and housing issues or who have lost their life savings. Compounding that are the relationships that break under the financial strain, the health issues exacerbated by inadequate insurance and increased stress levels all around.
The holiday season — and whatever holiday you celebrate, be it Solstice, Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa or none of the above — is a great time to think about friends and neighbors, family and coworkers. To think about what they mean to you and let them know that you appreciate them. (We’ll talk about what to do if they’re jerks some other time.) Because the truth is, none of us can thrive in a vacuum. We need friends, family and colleagues to collaborate with us, to serve as a sounding board, to inspire us, to tell us when we screw up, to congratulate us when we succeed.
Beyond the personal sphere, we need this at the community level as well. Certainly, there is no “community” if we only act alone and in our own self-interests. So this is also a time to consider what your community means to you — how do you benefit from it and how do you give back? In some ways, it’s like communism: From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs. We all bring strengths and skills to the table; we all have assets to share.
Life is hard, there’s no doubt about it. And this year particularly so.
But it could be worse. You could live in a country that has no freedom of speech or that criminalizes homosexuality. You could live in a city that doesn’t offer protections for LGBT people.
And while sexual minorities aren’t afforded equal rights yet, change is coming.
So as 2009 comes to an end, who and what are you thankful for this holiday season? And how will you let them know?