Anyone else skidding into the holidays? I know better than to wait until the end of the year to take time off. Yet here I am – AGAIN – on the edge of burnout counting the minutes to time off.
It’s been a good six months since I’ve had time to myself. Away from work. Responsibilities. All the adulting stuff that comes with being a productive member of society and parent. If I could tell my younger self anything, it would be “don’t be so quick to grow up. Adulting is overrated.”
And yet. When I can put it all down and just appreciate the moment, it’s pretty freaking amazing. If I’m not looking back with regret or looking forward with anxiety, right now is darn good most of the time.
This holiday season, maybe we can remember that the struggle is human. We’re all going through it. No one has it figured out. If they tell you they do, they are lying to you or themselves. Maybe both. This moment is a gift if we can pause long enough to appreciate it.
My gift to myself this holiday will be hiking up a mountain, leaving all the stress of adulting behind. Before I go, I’ll do my best to give my son a great Christmas and remember I can’t control how he shows up. Only how I do. Hopefully, it’s filled with laughter and I get a moment like the one in this image. Those rare moments where we enjoy each other’s company with no stress about school, grades, upcoming graduation, or what comes after.
His own adulthood is right on top of us. Maybe the best gift I can give him is one more Christmas without thinking about the heavy weight of life decisions. And maybe the best gift I can give myself is to do the same. Leave it all behind for the day and focus on being happy. I don’t need to climb a mountain for that. I only need to remember that he IS the gift I dreamed of for so long.
This holiday season, I wish for everyone to be able to put adulting aside, if only for a short while, and find happiness in the moment.
