I started writing this article a few days before Boris gave less than eight hours notice that for so many, Christmas was cancelled and the festive season we were all desperately crawling on our hands and knees dribbling from our mouths to reach, would be nothing like we hoped.
I was going to write about finding the small joys in a mostly joyless year. I know, sounds so glib now doesn’t it. But after the announcement I fell into such a deep, dark, despairing hole, I got into bed pulled the duvet over my head and shut the world out – I didn’t even check Instagram for like, three hours.
All hope had been sucked out of my body and not even Harry Style’s Sleep Stories and an airport sized Toblerone could save me now.
I had nothing left. Not one single thing.
After what felt like decades, I emerged from my bed with an overwhelming feeling that took over my entire body. I was absolutely desperate for a wee and about 3 seconds away from wetting the bed. And it was whilst sat on the loo thinking about how I never actually found popular American situation comedy Friends that funny (please don’t @ me – it’s been a hard enough year), I had a realisation.
We’ve just gotta pivot.
Yes, that’s right, as Ross yelled at Chandler and Rachel as they were trying to carry a cumbersome sofa up a flight of stairs – ‘pivot’!
Because we have in fact been spending ALL of 2020 just pivoting. With every government announcement, every lockdown we’re plunged into, every cancelled birthday, wedding, holiday, first date, last date, no date (me). Even a cancelled Christmas, we adapt to the situation, change direction and carry on. We pivot.
Whether that’s changing travel plans last minute by not actually travelling anywhere, sitting outside the pub instead of inside the pub, or singing songs in a ridiculous voice during a Zoom quiz with your friends because you can’t be near each other. We pivot.
And for what it’s worth, as we reach the final days of 2020, I think every single one of us should be really proud of how well we’ve coped this year. It hasn’t been easy, in fact it’s been utterly soul destroying, and we still have no idea how long this horror show will last.
But there is some light shining on the horizon and one day very soon, we will push that sofa up the flight of stairs without having to pivot and an actual live studio audience who don’t have to sit socially distant from each other will laugh, clap and cheer and all will be right with the world once more.
I wish you a happy, healthy and safe Christmas and a better 2021 for us all.
Oh, and if you’re interested the three small joys I was going to mention were – hardly ever shitting myself this year as I’ve never been more than two feet away from my toilet, putting a hot water bottle between my knees to help me sleep and laughing. Laughing as much as possible.
Put a little love in your heart. Watch Scrooged.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
