I hope you and your family have an “unprecedented” Christmas, and a “new normal” New Year!

I can’t believe, just a few years ago, I thought those were some really smart words or phrases.  Using “unprecedented” in a sentence was a sophisticated way of saying “weird”, “abnormal”, or “unexpected”.  And “new normal” was the hot buzz phrase to use in therapy-talk.

They seem a little mundane now, a little too commonplace, and for mostly frustrating reasons.

That’s the kind of year it’s been.  I’m sure I don’t have to tell you about it.

And now we are facing “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year” – but it’s different.  It’s not the traditions we all look forward to.  We may not get to spend time with those we usually do.  It’s not going to be the same.

And it’s easy to get caught up in what it won’t be.  It’s easy to get down about what we are missing out on.

But in difficulty we can find achievement – we can find opportunities to grow, to rise above the struggle to make it better, to be better.

So this week before Christmas, I challenge you to focus on the positive, to find opportunity amongst the frustration.  I hope you find a way to truly make it “unprecedented” and a “new normal” – a new normal for now, let’s see what next year brings…

I wish you Happy Holidays, and may you enjoy a blessed and very Merry Christmas!  – Dan