As the holiday week starts in full force many of us will skate between sorrow and joy, fear and hope concern and ... For some, it will be a ... hard week. As a result of ... 11
As the holiday week starts in full force many of us will skate between sorrow and joy, fear and hope concern and celebration. For some, it will be a particularly hard week. As a result of September 11th, they have lost someone they love and are not only alone, but also in mourning. Others will reevaluate their priorities and cherish even more those they love. They will appreciate all they have and hold their families more tightly to their hearts than ever before and reach out to embrace those less fortunate than themselves. Many will be concerned about empty pocket books, travel travail, and will have added words such as Cipro, Anthrax, terrorism and war to their vocabulary. Some will simply smile, hold their heads high and hope. Either way, for most of the population this holiday season will be a different one than last year’s—and certainly different from what we anticipated in the New Millennium This year there is no single path for all to follow, except perhaps, the feelings of patriotism that bind us. We are Americans all.
I suggest that you keep relevant rituals and traditions and at the same time, if they don’t feel right, don’t be afraid to part with old ways of celebrating. Keep what sustains you and take advantage of this time of upheaval to try new ways of giving and getting. Few of us need more non-essential items, yet most of us are in need. It is a good time to reevaluate our priorities and consider what we hold most dear. Whether you travel or stay at home, party or have a quiet dinner, or reach out to those you care about, during times of upheaval relationships, kindness, routine and love help to sustain us. This holiday season is not a time to be alone.
Although many of us we are surrounded by seriousness and sadness, there is no reason to feel guilty about joy. If anything, catch it as it flies, for if we have learned anything since September 11th, it is that we can never be sure of safety again. Help your children laugh, for there is little as enriching as a child’s glee. And, if this season gives you a case of the “blues,” as the saying goes, reach out and touch someone you love. If for some reason nothing seems right, remember, just because the year is ending, we are not.
Dr. Dorree Lynn is co-founder of the Institute for the Advanced Study of Psychotherapy and a practicing clinician in New York and Washington, DC. Dr. Lynn served on the executive board of the American Academy of Psychotherapists and she is on the editorial board of their publication, Voices. She is also a regular columnist for the Washington, DC newspaper, The Georgetowner. Dr. Lynn is a noted speaker and well known on the lecture circuit.
