TSMD December 2021 Newsletter - Tenacity
December Greetings
2021 is coming to a close, and I’m grateful to have shared this small corner of the internet with you for another year.
In many leadership and wellness circles, there is much talk about resilience—how to cultivate it, and how to teach positivity in the face of adversity.
But as we enter December, I’ve been thinking not of resilience, but of tenacity. Our worth is not measured in how well we “bounce back” from setbacks, or how resiliently we weather hardships.
Tenacity can mean determination or persistence. But tenacity is also the mere fact of ongoing survival. Our continued existence is itself a reason for celebration. You are yourself a gift.
We can acknowledge that the past two years have been painful. And we can celebrate that we’re alive. Even in cold and hard conditions, there are winter-blooming flowers. Even in quiet moments, all is not lost. December reminds us we’re still here.
To begin the month, I want to share with you a poem by Sarah Freligh. May you be the single purple petunia still blooming in the snow.
December
by Sarah Freligh
On the fire escape, one
stupid petunia still blooms,
purple trumpet blowing
high notes at the sky long
after the rest of the band
has packed up
and gone home.
COVID-Concious Celebrations
As we plan our holiday celebrations, take the time to put a plan in place to protect vulnerable family members from COVID-19. The best way for us to care for ourselves, our families, and our communities is by getting vaccinated.
Eligibility for boosters starts two months after the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine, or six months after finishing the two-shot Pfizer or Moderna vaccines.
Please reach out if you have any questions about vaccines or boosters.
Another tool to use is MyCovidRisk, an app created by emergency physicians to give you the information you need about your risk of contracting COVID-19 based on the current case numbers in your zip code, as well as your intended activity.
This holiday season, do your part to keep vulnerable members of the community safe.
Around the Web
I Just Turned 60, but I Still Feel 22
“Sorrow in the face of aging would be a poor response to such good fortune. Thanks to that immense, unwarranted luck, I have lived long enough to be surrounded by the truest possible friends. Sixty years have given me time to learn that true friendship comes not from proximity — attending the same schools or belonging to the same church or having children the same age or voting for the same political candidates. Friendship is forged across time, through good fortune and tragedy alike, and true friends are those who keep on loving one another even when it isn’t convenient and even when they don’t always agree.”
The Pandemic’s Next Turn Hinges on Three Unknowns
“We are no longer in the most dangerous phase of the pandemic, but we also have not reached the end. So COVID-19’s trajectory over the next few months will depend on three key unknowns: how our immunity holds up, how the virus changes, and how we behave. These unknowns may also play out differently state to state, town to town, but together they will determine what ends up happening this winter.”
4 ways to look after your mental health in our second pandemic holiday season
“Planning strategically for the holidays, both at work and in personal matters, with mindfulness toward protecting long-term mental health goals is one helpful approach. Here are some behavioral health-backed tips on how everyone, including leaders, can manage the stress of the season, get work done, and prioritize yourself, too.”
My Most Thankful Treasures