This is traditionally a time when we think of family and friends and the relationships we have in our lives—well, at least most adults do: the kids are thinking about what is under the tree.
Many people are thinking about the charities they support and the good they can do with their donation dollars, others donate hours to causes close to home in order to make a difference.
But finding the Christmas spirit this pandemic year is a little harder than usual. While there is no doubt that Whistler is the best place on Earth, it feels like cold comfort as we try to reconcile the holiday spirit with social distancing, not being able to spend time with loved ones, too much work or too little, and just the ongoing weight of living with coronavirus.
I mean, couldn’t the Grinch have waited until after the various holidays celebrated at this time of year by many faiths before hitting us with COVID 2.0?
Even feeling this way though, walking through the village (masked, of course) at night and feeling the magic of the season sparkling in the bright lights everywhere we need to remember to be grateful for what we have. I know reading that phrase probably makes you want to move on to the next Pique story, but just think about the number of uplifting stories right now across the headlines.
We have groups and individuals raising funds, delivering hampers and organizations donating tens of thousands of dollars to community services to help out during this pandemic. This is really the spirit of the holidays. It is people giving and helping even when they feel they have nothing left to give.
And this is so Whistler.
We all need to take a moment, and a deep breath, and remember what is good in life—appreciate the beauty that surrounds us. That could be taking time to look at photos you love, listening to music that moves you, walking the trails, being on the mountains, being present when you finally sit down with a well-earned cup of tea.
We won’t get through this if we don’t—we will be the foot-stamping, tantrum-throwing toddler in the room and it won’t help anyway.
I was reminded this week of a social experiment that was carried out in a subway metro station in Washington, D.C. some years ago by the Washington Post.
A violin player performed six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, approximately 1,000 people went through the station, most of them on their way to work. Only a few people showed any real interest, one of who was a three–year-old boy who was constantly tugged away from the music by his mother. The violinist collected $32 ($20 from one woman) from passersby and when he finished playing no one paid any attention to him as he packed up and left.
The violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the greatest musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, with a violin worth $3.5 million dollars. Two days before, Joshua Bell sold out a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100 each to sit and listen to him play the same music.
I feel that in this pandemic time, if this experiment were carried out now, many, many more people would stop and take the time to listen and appreciate the true beauty of the performance.
COVID-19 has given us little to celebrate, but perhaps as we live through the holidays we can cherish this gift—it has made us appreciate those we love more, our community, our surroundings, stillness, peace and the importance of connection in its many forms.
It has forced many of us to reevaluate what is important in our lives and indeed what is important in our community.
Let’s take the time to learn from these lessons. I have a feeling we will need to heed all the lessons as we head into 2021.
