It’s December and the week after Thanksgiving. Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday have all come and gone, and maybe someday soon, we’ll get our email inboxes down to a manageable level of overflow.
Scaled-down Thanksgiving celebrations now give way to who knows what this Christmastide. Judging by my neighbors’ decorations that went up with the overnight speed of a Walgreens transitioning from 4th of July to Halloween, we’re in for a helluva twinkle-lighted, blow-up, overdone wonderland! It’s as a dear, toddler niece once marveled many years ago, “look mommy, it’s Santa and Jesus and everybody!”
The mood seems to suggest that there just isn’t a whole lot of appetite for the Advent disciplines of watching, waiting, expecting and preparing, and that instead, people will jump straight into the excesses of Christmas and New Year’s Eve as if to hasten the final bell toll of 2020 (and maybe drown out the unwelcome pandemic) whether there are traditional celebrations or not. Folks at the very least will make it look like a party.
So, with the onslaught of commercial Christmas and a rush to end this year, my message this first week of the last month is simply to Hold On. With several connotations, I commend them all to you.
Hold on to those whom you love… closely; they’re the best holds to have
Hold on to your hat… the roller coaster is likely to continue
Hold on to your dreams… they’re what keep you optimistically looking forward instead of critically looking backward
Hold on to your humor… it’s what keeps you and us smiling
Hold on to perspective… give and take is fine, but more giving is always better
Hold on and continue to be patient… this too shall pass; good things are coming
Destination Inspiration: Costa Rica
Where can I travel now? Well, there’s no simple answer to that question without a whole lot of modifiers, but in addition to the individual states within the US including Alaska, Hawaii and the territory of Puerto Rico, the answer is 43 countries worldwide are currently “open” to US Passport holders. The trickier part is getting to these places! Ask me for specifics.
Thanks as always for reading our newsletter. I welcome your feedback, questions and conversations, and look forward to working with you when the time is right.
-Philip
“Your imagination is your preview of life’s coming attractions."
Albert Einstein, 1879-1955 German-born, Nobel Prize Winning Theoretical Physicist
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