By Abbie Cornett

Before I sit down to Write a blog, I spend a few days thinking about the topic and how readers will relate to it. This month, I was going to write about how this Thanksgiving was different than last year's when we were facing a long winter of lockdown and how thankful I was the end of the pandemic was in sight. Then I read the news about the latest mutation of COVID-19: Omicron!

Not only did Omicron change what I was going to write about, it seriously threw me for a loop. My first thought was: I can't do this again! Not being able to see friends and family during the holidays, not going to movies or eating out, and trying to homeschool my daughter while working. When I started to freak out, my husband asked me if we needed to hoard Toilet Paper. At first, I looked at him like he was crazy. But then, I started to laugh. After 30 years together, the man knows what to say to me.

No, he wasn't seriously suggesting we should buy toilet paper, but he was pointing out how silly I was being. While I was sitting there fretting about what might happen, I was ruining the present. My kids were home for the holidays. Everyone was healthy and working, and we had a roof over our heads and food in the kitchen.

Being present is something I have never been good at. I am good at planning; I always look at tomorrow and what I need to do next. While this has been great for organizing my life, I frequently fail to enjoy the moment while worrying about the future.

The one thing COVID has taught me is the future is unknown. While I will never stop being a planner, I am going to start working on enjoying the moment and being thankful for what I have in the here and now.