Contingency Plans

That high-stress holiday is coming. It’s breathing down our throats. Have you had it with the talking head gurus on TV, print and radio telling you how to contend with your relatives and keep peace in your heart if you’re gathering to break bread with people who have a tendency of getting your dander up?

While it would be much safer to stick to my profession of web and technology items, I’m straying toward emotions that pierce our patience. I’m in the midst of moving 499 miles away with thirteen people coming to sleep, eat and commune 3 days before I leave. Don’t get me wrong, I’m delighted and excited to have the family together for the first time in years.

Preparations began this weekend with purchasing and making food for the small army arriving at the door. Yesterday, after buying, cleaning, and cooking like Julia Child reincarnated; after the flour was scooped, the noodles rolled and the cooked meatballs stored, I learned 8 of the group were not coming. A death in a spouse’s family had occurred and all plans were changed.

This was of course was disheartening, unavoidable and a disappointment for everyone. A big dead space of silence overflowed the boundaries of the walls. All the work, plans, hopes, dreams visions of laughter were gone. The emptiness and pain of defeat just sat there like an uncomfortable friend.

A contingency plan was formed. Unused food was whisked back to the store, re-alignment to the menu calendar was made and my “new plan” was ready, unhappy, but ready. Low and behold, a phone call a mere two hours later changed all the plans again. The group was coming with an adjustment of time frame, minus one spouse. Thanksgiving will be salvaged for us. But it left me thinking….

It is a shame the importance the next 5 weeks have become in the stress level of our lives. Thanksgiving, Advent, Christmas, New Year’s. We sure pack it all in to one small amount of time. This year’s holiday’s occur in a total of 36 days. If you’re a multi-cultural family, you may be throwing Hanukkah and Kwanzaa in there as well. I don’t know the origin of your stress, but if you are like my family, the answer lies in between the sentences. In other words, the unspoken words none of us utter.

If my family were geographically closer, we may get together more often, who’s to say. The magnitude of this Thanksgiving was the first holiday we had all spent together in 9 years. I didn’t need a TV guru to analyze the roller coaster of emotions that happened to my family over the course of this weekend. I’d say you have similar stories with various scenarios that are quite familiar thematically in one form or another. When you attempt to cram 365 days of hopes and dreams in to 36 days, lightning is guaranteed to strike. The lightning generally gets bigger the more days that are added to the 365. Sometimes it doesn’t take 365 days for lightning; sometimes 365 hours, or 365 minutes. In any event, batten down the hatches, full steam ahead. These 36 days of flurry are coming regardless. Develop a few contingency plans and by all means, don’t get in the refund line too quick. Oh, and like last week’s blog: -BREATHE.