It’s December 24, 2020. My province — Ontario, Canada — is back into a full lockdown today. I’m feeling some anxiety because of this lockdown, and it has nothing to do with my freedom or personal rights.

I’m feeling anxious because I’m worried about the impact this lockdown will have on people. After all, we’ve been living in a pandemic for nine months now, and we’re all hoping it’ll end soon. The reality is that the lockdown will stress people out, which may have them interacting in ways that are out of character for them.

In the coming weeks and months, you’re going to encounter people who will upset you. It might be a teammate who seems more irritable than usual. It might be a neighbour who snaps at you. It might be a nurse who’s looking after your family member and was short with you on the phone.

I’d invite you, now more than ever, to take a step back and remind yourself that you don’t know the other person’s story. What if your teammate lives alone and is dreading Christmas Day without family or friends? What if your neighbour just found out their employer won’t survive this crisis? What if that nurse just held a patient’s hand as they died because the family wasn’t allowed to be there?

Whether you celebrate the Christmas season or not — I want to extend nothing but love and goodwill from my family to yours!

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Please pass the love along to everyone you encounter.

Ps … I’m taking a break from posting during the holiday season to spend time with family & friends. I look forward to sharing again, starting on January 2, 2021.