Comfort and Joy

​What a line from a classic Christmas song.  Don’t we need that now more than ever?  Empathy Fatigue, Covid Exhaustion, uncertainty around every turn.
 
Good tidings of comfort and joy.
 
Yes please.
 
So I asked myself: what am I doing today to bring about this comfort and joy?
 
Do I stop and help someone in need, giving the most precious of gifts, my time, or just write an end of year check to get the tax write off?
 
Am I stopping to lend an ear to someone who might be lonely and hurting?  Or am I too busy getting just the right gift and planning for next year’s sales quota to pause, slow down, and listen to pain in their heart?
 
Can I for just a moment look for the pain behind the angst of yelling and screaming of someone in a store rather than judge them secretly and then share the ridiculousness of their tale when I see a friend later that day to be dismissive and feel superior that I haven’t over-reacted in this holiday season…YET.
 
Let’s face it, this year which has been unlike any other (sure, insert the punch in the throat for saying that over-used phrase of 2020, I’ll take my licking) we have almost grown numb to simply being human and doing the simple acts of kindness that make us so.
 
Maybe that’s what I’ll get my husband this year, random acts of kindness.  Yeah, that’s it.  That’s what I’ll get him.  I’ll return all the gifts under the tree, save all that money and just give him kindness.  I’m sure THAT will go over well, lol.  Truthfully, it probably would.  But if he reads this and returns my gifts…well, let’s just say this merry little elf might not be so merry come Christmas morning.  You see, I do like getting presents.  I do like that material stuff.  There, I said it.  And it’s 2020, so go ahead and judge me.  I’m ok with it!!

---