Hey APW,
Well for us, the holidays are here. Last night was the first night of Hanukkah. And while Hanukkah is always stressful unless it falls over Christmas break (no days off for us, as we try to make December special for our kids)… it…. was pretty good. Surprisingly good, in fact.
I don’t know if it’s that since Passover we’ve gotten skilled at hosting holidays in isolation, or it was all the pre-planning I did, or what. But it was really really magical. The kids eyes sparkled, we spontaneously did blessings with our baby cousin, we all stuffed ourselves with donuts and latkes, I texted photos of decorations back and forth with Jewish girlfriends, and the kids went to bed happy. They woke up this morning to their current nanny/ long time second mom bringing them huge wrapped presents, which turned out to be electric scooters. We let them have the day off school (or “school” as I call the disaster of distance learning that is profoundly not working), and I can hear their joyful shouts from the backyard.
It was joy we really needed, as the tide of calamitous news keeps rising. Right now, we feel like we’re being shielded from the worst of it. Oakland has stayed under near lockdown this whole time, case numbers are comparatively low, and our hospitals are only half filled. But we’re well aware that is a blessing, know it might get worse fast, and are terrified watching the horror show playing out nationally.
Here at APW we’re going pretty slow… slow and steady, as we head into our last week of work. It has been almost impossibly hard to run a small business in 2020 (let alone one in the wedding space). And we know that at least the first half of 2021 is going to be relentlessly tricky as well. While part of me feels enormous pressure to keep grinding and launching new things, my body tells me that I need to stop and rest. Well, rest, and workout using the Peloton app, because that has been the other thing getting me through these days.
The moment we’re in is about survival, and whatever joy we can get. Wishing you all as much joy as you can find as we head into this holiday season weekend, and in the meantime, here is your open thread.
xo
Meg
