May all your problems be the solvable kind

Written by Leda Glyptis
15th December 2022

We are closing in on Christmas and I am having a nightmare of a time.

Here is my wish for every single one of you: may all your problems be solvable

At home, we had a leak in our bathroom that we discovered was caused somewhere between floors two and three of our building… and it affected us (floor one) and, soon after, our ground floor neighbour, creating what my boyfriend now calls Leak Club. It’s fixed now. We think…

We definitely have some cosmetic work to do and need to wait and see whether the damage is done, so to speak, or there is more to this little gift.

It was a headache.

But no matter. It’s almost Christmas and we have all sorts of things to look forward to.

Only, my mum came down with Covid… then my dad.

So now we are worried about them… and need to cancel our flights because there is not enough room in the house for them to isolate and function normally with us there… and we have to cancel activities planned in Athens and try for refunds while scrambling to get some groceries ordered in time for Christmas, work out a plan and maybe get a tree. All the while calling them 78 times a day to check on their breathing and speaking to doctor friends about Paxlovid.

Honestly, not how I thought I would be spending my last couple of days at work before a much-needed break. I thought I’d be packing. And rushing to finish my million items on my million lists. I thought I would be sending apologetic messages to people I didn’t see enough this year, making plans for January, grabbing last-minute Christmas presents.

I thought I would be making lists to find on my desk on my return (I do that to myself, it’s the easiest way to know where to start after a break). Instead, I am doing none of that. I am dealing with flights and logistics and with the stress of both my mum and dad being sick. And the exorbitant costs of rebooking flights.

Because you can’t get a refund for flights.

Oh no.

You have to reschedule or get back 10% of your money.

So we now have flights for the summer that cost us more than return flights to Australia would have.

And it’s stressful.

And it’s crap.

And I may feel a little bit like crying.

But you know what? It will be fine.

We will get some food in and get some decorations up and we will sort the flights one way or another. This Christmas will be a non-event but we will laugh about it come this summer.

And my parents will be fine.

Because they are vaccinated and although they are getting on and have some underlying conditions they are fairly healthy and this is the most important thing: that they will be OK.

So as I am feeling mired in pre-Xmas grump with logistics and unexpected costs and our plans going out the window, I tell myself… it’s OK.

You know?

It’s OK. It’s stressful and expensive and disappointing not to spend time with the folks as planned. But it’s going to be OK.

I hope your run-up to Christmas is filled with baking and wrapping paper and love, friends. No stress and worry and anxiety. But I know that won’t be the case for all of you. I know some of you have loved ones who are really unwell. Some of you are missing loved ones. Some of you are not able to take the hit of those exorbitant unexpected costs, wherever they come from.

So as we go into the festive season, here is my wish for every single one of you: may all your problems be solvable.

Because you will have problems. And not all are simply annoying and expensive and disappointing like the week from hell I seem to be having.

Some problems are crushing. Chronic. Non-reversible.

So as we face into a tough year ahead, my friends, I have this wish: may all your problems be solvable.

And a merry Christmas to all.

#LedaWrites

Leda Glpytis