As I reflect on this year and think about the second Thanksgiving during the Covid pandemic, I can’t help but start with gratitude for the vaccine.
Not only was the vaccine developed and distributed in record time, but we are now able to vaccinate children and give boosters to older adults all within this year. It’s remarkable.
I’m also grateful for the hard work, resiliency, and resolve of people in industries large and small.
- The medical professionals who have worked non-stop,
- the restaurant and retail workers who are doing their best to deliver while being understaffed,
- the arts and culture workers who are bringing stages back to life,
- the early childhood teachers who are the workforce behind the workforce,
- the distribution and delivery drivers who are getting everything from packages to groceries to our front doors, and
- so many other sectors whose productivity is amazing given the constant pivot of this pandemic.
The hard work takes a toll, too. There is a collective level of exhaustion that is unique to this time in our lives.
I share the following article with you as we approach the Thanksgiving holiday. “It’s Okay To Be Exhausted” by Dan Rather and Elliot Kirschner was shared with me by a friend on a day that I felt particularly tired.
“We get to a point where the exhaustion is itself exhausting.”
The article did more than validate my feelings — it also challenged some of my assumptions. I hope you can take a break over the Thanksgiving holiday to rest and recharge, but I know that not everyone can.
“We must acknowledge that not everyone can step back from exhaustion. To be able to take a break is its own form of privilege.”
Not everyone can work from home. Not everyone has access to high-speed internet. Not everyone has a home.
“But there is also a reason so many of the world’s religions have days of rest and reflection built into the calendar. The human body and mind cannot always be working, or it will cease to work well.”
My Thanksgiving intention of gratitude will be for health, but it will also be that those who need rest, find rest.
Article by: Kerri Laubenthal Mollard, Founder & CEO
