When I hit over 200 days of being alone in my bachelor apartment in Toronto, I decided that I would carefully make the trek up north to my parents house and quarantine with them for the holidays. My mom has a similar illness as mine, so they’ve been isolating just like me. I felt comfortable and safe making the temporary transition, if it meant being around other humans for a little while. I’ve been here for almost 3 weeks now. It wasn’t until I got here that I realized just how much I was starved from intimacy and company.
Days before the holidays began, the premier of Ontario advised that a province wide shutdown would commence on boxing day. Why they didn’t choose to enforce it before Christmas is still an enigma to me. Personally, I’m happy to have had hushed holidays just the three of us. We watched Christmas Vacation, played cards, laughed and cried. And best of all, no one was stressed. I don’t think I’ve ever had a holiday without my brother; I don’t think I’ve ever had a holiday without stress and an inevitable flare. There’s always a good for a bad.
My body didn’t get the memo though and decided to cause me some trouble anyhow. At least that stayed the same. *eye roll* I was just casually brushing my teeth when my jaw decided to pop out of its socket. Great, I thought. I was able to put it back relatively easily and figured it wasn’t a bad dislocation. I was wrong. I woke up the next day with lock jaw. Lasted a friggen week. Couldn’t talk. Couldn’t eat solids. Not ideal for the holidays. Thankfully, I was feeling better by the time Christmas rolled around. Hypermobility buddies—be careful brushing your teeth!!
With the new year dawning, we’re all braced to see what comes next. Let’s enter this new year with a sense of gratitude and appreciation for ourselves for getting through this incredibly chaotic year. And, if you could do me a favour? When you pass the threshold to the new year, take a moment of silence to send your heart out to all those that didn’t make it to the new year. Let your heart be grateful for their sacrifice and carry it on with you as a badge of courage and resolve to make the most of this renewal.