Holidays

Christmas Alone

It’s well known in the mental health field that holidays hit hard for many folks. It’s not just the elderly that are isolated any more. Is it almost all of us?

So one of my friends set off a flare in one of our social groups. He is alone. He would trade a hug for a cup of Joe and a warm environment. Not too long after that flare went off, a hundred people had chimed in, all saying pretty much the same thing. They, too, were alone. The coke bottles with SOS in them travel the oceans much faster than they used to. After about hundred local offers, he lamented shooting off the flare. He was feeling guilty, being a marine all, not manning up. I wonder how many people just ‘marined’ up and ride it out. Will this season be hard with the suicides given how tough the world is at the moment? Have you reached out to all your peeps?

The marines have a great motto. Leave no man behind. Person, human, people. The thing about not leaving people behind also means, marines have a duty to not tough it out. If you have a situation, or are at risk of being stranded, you launch a flare. Sending an SOS is not shameful. Not reaching out when there are fellows around, well, that shames us.

It is reasonable to hunker down and weather a storm, for sure. It is even noble to be independent, strong and the guy who does the rescuing. Humans, however, are social entities. We can survive alone, we thrive together. Somewhere in this high tech world we’ve forgotten the art of being interdependent.

To the degree that you can…

Be well. That’s the first and foremost calling. To the degree that you are well, you will not need not rescuing. In fact, those who are doing very well are always poised to be rescuers during a time of crisis. If everyone is not well, some people are not getting rescued.

To the degree that you can, recognize your strengths and weaknesses. Cultivate friends that bring balance. If you can serve in one area and someone else can serve in another area, now we are rocking and rolling.

To the degree that you can, recognize as you age you will reach a point where you can’t do as much as you used to. We…