It’s Christmas time, and I can’t help feeling there is something missing…
For the first time ever, I don’t have all my children with me during the holidays. Which means, for the first time ever, we won’t be celebrating Christmas together and sharing our beloved family traditions.
Feeling downcast and somewhat melancholy, I look out at our garden. My husband, youngest daughter and I are in Delhi, while my eldest babies are in North America. I love a white Christmas, but my current view holds no snow. Instead, what I see is a profusion of winter flowers.
My gaze lands on a bed of gorgeous white marigolds, just reaching full bloom. I pause and reflect. There is no bed of freshly fallen snow…but there are white flowers, newly radiant. White marigolds represent the power, strength and light that lives inside a person.
I hold on to the thought, exploring it further… Could these magnificent white marigolds become my white Christmas this year? Could their beauty and symbolism infuse our family festivities with a new richness?
All of a sudden, I smell snow in Delhi. My heart feels lighter, open to recognizing and receiving unfamiliar gifts. In this moment, I embrace the idea of a new white Christmas, adapted to my current surroundings.
Learning to adapt to local realities is a vital part of the expatriate existence. Shouldn’t we embrace the changes brought by our adventurous life? This means both acknowledging the new gifts we receive and letting go of rigid ideas about “the way things should be”.
So, here is my own takeaway this holiday season. When life gives you lemons, make lemonade – and make it the most delicious lemonade ever!
I will adapt my traditions, habits and behaviors to my new environment. I will discover and enjoy what is generously offered by my host country. Every situation presents an opportunity to something wonderful, when we choose to view the cup as half-full (an invaluable mantra for us expats!).
This doesn’t mean I will celebrate all the local traditions and beliefs. Rather, I will observe, be inspired and rejoice in the myriad experiences around me. By embracing what I have, I will refresh, rejuvenate and re-create.
I wish you the same, wherever you are! Happy Holidays.
