Happy Holidays Steemians

I'm sure just about everyone at this moment is getting ready to have a family gathering or at least I hope that most of you are. For me this is going to be some interesting holidays to say the least, simply because they almost feel like a goodbye too, since next month would be the month when I start a new chapter of my life.

I did want to share something that I believed was very special for me this year. You see, this Saturday we got invited to a small get together and just because life can have those unusual circumstances, we said yes and showed up. Funny thing is that it's unlike us to do such a thing, but for some reason it felt right, this time it felt like it would be best to leave our comfort zone.

There we were, there I was, in a room of mostly strangers, talking, smiling, sharing anecdotes, trying to connect to people that I could tell were there in a similar circumstance, just happenstance. As the night progressed, the food came out, and we had shared a few drinks the hosts decided to do something unusual but powerful. They asked every person there to say something about the Holidays, about the year, about their wishes for 2019.

One by one everyone stood up and expressed gratitude, gratitude for a difficult year, gratitude for the opportunity to be there, gratitude for the lessons learned. You see, everyone there had a story that even though it had nothing to do with mine or yours, it shared the rainbow that is existence, the ups and the downs. However, everyone felt safe, everyone felt warm enough to be vulnerable, to be brave, and to be grateful.

When it was my turn, I raised my dixie cup and tried my best to congratulate them all for being so kind to us, so kind to me, such good examples of what it takes to smile at adversity. And listen, I don't know what precisely were the battles they were fighting, but I could tell they had taken their toll. Nonetheless not a single person there forgot their smiles at home, not a single person kept their kindness to themselves.

So when I say Happy Holidays my friends, I don't mean it in the "traditional way". I don't say them because they are part of the protocol so to speak. I say them because I hope that regardless of how bad 2018 may have been, all of us find the strength to be grateful and to not forget our smiles at home, to take them with us wherever we may go.

Much love to you all