They say health is wealth, and this holiday definitely makes me extra grateful for being hale and hearty. Perhaps because I spent the last one stuck in bed from a COVID strain that went through everyone in my family before latching its claws on me too. I couldn’t enjoy anything and not even rain could douse the fires from the hell that was burning within me and looking back at how much that weighed me down last Christmas inspires me to express more gratitude for the simple things we take for granted like enjoying the taste of water. I spent my Christmas this year in the bosom of familial love biting more food than I could chew, drinking beer made from surplus bread and there was no greater reminder for me that home, despite its occasional drama and my coming-to-understanding of its deeply nuanced existence, is yet again, where the love resides. There was also another hard prompt in the form of my Southern American friend who spent the day at his minimum wage job and had a deep-fried chicken patty for lunch (even though he said he didn’t mind) that this is a privilege that some couldn’t afford and thus, my gratitude booms.
The year went by so fast at the start and somehow manages to drag on now that we’re at the eleventh hour, based on reasons best known only to the universe and certainly not to me. Perhaps it’s a clear reflection of the time that exists after a long (sometimes, arduous) journey right before you get to your next destination, where you hope better promises are held: the darkest hour of the night is the one closest to dawn, and maybe this stretch simply represents our preparation for what’s to come. I am a big subscriber to the belief that the period between Christmas and the new year is “the void” and should be spent by doing nothing. It’s a soft reset, one unforced but presented to us by the natural order of things, and I think we should take the gift especially because it’s free and you’re not obliged to give anything in return. Well except maybe your willpower if you get too suckered into it.
I am currently sitting on the couch, half-watching some holiday movie on festive hub (I genuinely don’t know what that is, I just turned the TV on and it started playing something so I let it) and I plan to continue that way until night falls even though my watch just reminded me that I haven’t taken any steps in the last hour and I only have ten minutes left to do so but hey who cares? Maybe Fitbit. It feels nice to sit back and enjoy the limbo (for the lack of a better word) for as long as it lasts. Typically, I would be doing a year end review around this time but I feel like my year’s already accounted for but for those that haven’t done any reckoning with themselves this year or maybe even ever haha, this might be a great time to do that. I hope the rest of the days left in the year brings you as much peace as you want and I pray that we all experience a wonderful 2026.
With all my love,
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