A Lesson from The Grinch

 

2020 has pretty much sucked, but one thing I keep reminding myself is that as much as I value traditions this has proven to be a great year to evaluate them to see if they still are of value.  I am sure that there have been things that your family has done over the years and you do them because it is TRADITION but no one really likes them.  The gift 2020 has given us is the permission (which we didn't need) to stop those things that no one likes, or simply let them change a bit to keep the spirit of them but in a new way that works for us now.

Last night I watched one of my all time favorite Christmas movies/shows with my family.  It was Dr Suess' How The Grinch Stole Christmas, the classic animated cartoon from 1966 and it struck me that it is a very fitting movie for 2020.

The Whos in Whooville  love their decorations and toys which I think we can all relate to.  Their Christmas was not normal that year, all their stuff was taken away from them by the Grinch.  And despite the fact that when they woke up and there was nothing left in their houses, no food, no presents, no decorations, in fact, their houses were trashed, they still went out and celebrated with the song below.

Welcome Christmas (an excerpt of lyrics)

Welcome, welcome! Fah who rahmus!
Welcome, welcome! Dah who dahmus!
Christmas Day is in our grasp!
So long as we have hands to clasp!

...

Welcome, Christmas! Fah who rahmus!
Welcome, Christmas! Dah who dahmus!
Christmas Day will always be!
Just as long as we have we!

 

The Grinch was puzzled by this reaction:

And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow, stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so? It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags. And he puzzled and puzzled 'till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before. What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store. What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more.”

Perhaps there are just as many ribbons, bows, and bags but there will be fewer people gathered and no hands to clasp unless they are in your immediate family.  Maybe we will all be huddled on a screen.  And for some, it will mean not only fewer people but also not as many ribbons, bows, and bags.  No matter what your Christmas looks like this year, it will come.

While it is very easy to focus on what we cannot do which has a tendency to cause anger, anxiety, and depression. I am using this as the bazillion-th reminder this year to focus on what I can do.  Focusing on what we can tends to make it easier to deal with the changes and the things we can't do, it can help you feel happier and joyful.  

 

While this is not an easy process it is an exercise and like all exercise, you have to do it consistently to make it easier, so just keep doing it and have faith that it will work and one day you will find it has worked.  This does not mean you won't have bad days, I know I still do but doing this exercise consistently it means my bad days are not quite so bad and they don't last quite so long.