Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center
Understanding One Another This Season

Understanding One Another This Season

“What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.”
-Ralph Waldo Emerson
 
First of all, Happy Holidays! I hope that you are enjoying these precious days that seem to come around with greater frequency as I grow older.
 
We are at the time of year when we think about Emerson’s quote—we look back at the past and we anticipate a new year. We know what lies behind us. We remember the dark days of spring 2020, adjusting to the realities of the COVID pandemic. And, of course, it is not over yet. We do have some new vaccines and medications to fight it better. Doctors attending to hospitalized patients have learned what works best in treatment methodologies. But, still, in plain English, it is getting old.

The ongoing concern is that it seems to come wave after wave: first the surge of the Delta variant and now the new Omicron variant. These surges and the related news reports have caused some people to tighten, or return to, restrictions on their lives. It is hard to do this during a holiday season when we cherish socializing and staying physically and mentally active. Yet, we have to protect ourselves and take proper precautions. Mental health experts remind us that for many of us holidays are not of the Currier and Ives variety.  Many around us are hurting. This is a good time to hone our emotional intelligence and be sensitive to others.
 
Another famous quote, this from Carl Jung, which I paraphrase, is that we should always do the next thing that needs to be done, and thereby go safely and sure-footedly along the path. So, we move on, trying to do the next thing that needs to be done. Learning as we go.
 
Oh, and one more thing: let’s all be nice to one another.