WORTH IT
  • Home
  • Staff
    • Meet Our Staff
    • About Us
  • Groups
    • Daring Way
    • Rising Strong
  • IBS Group
  • Billing
  • Resources
  • Contact Us
  • Covid Response
  • Blog

thoughts from a therapist

anniversaries and easter candy.

3/3/2021

 
Anniversaries matter. And that, my friends, is why a bag of almond M&M's has me crying in the Target parking lot. Let me explain: About one year ago, I made my last indoor visit to Target (aka my happy place). I wish I could say I didn't know it would be my last visit, but the frightened eyes, the empty shelves, and the smell of bleach made it very clear that something was very different. I knew I wouldn't be back for some time. That fateful visit happened to coincide what what I consider to be one of the happiest times of the year: The arrival of Easter candy. Specifically, those beautiful pastel colored almond M&M's. Glorious! I'm obesssed. So,  recognizing the cultural shift and being the indulgent human being that I am, I bought several bags. Several. Throughout that that first month or two, pastel almond M&M's were my life line. I joked that my quarantine was being sponsored by the Mars Corporation. And then summer came, and those beautiful pastel bags were gone. I briefly switched to regular colored peanut M&M's but it wasn't the same. Like many I hopped on the baking trends. I went through healthy and unhealthy periods, I indulged in many different ways and I forgot about my pastel friends. Until today. I wandered back inside Target because I needed something specific, and I needed it now. And then I saw them - those beautiful pink bags with the the pastel eggs - calling to me from the end cap. I bought bags for every one. I bought a secret bag for my home office. I got to my car and I remembered those early quarantine bags. And I cried. You see, in the stress and the strain of the past year there have just been so many losses. Big losses - lives, jobs, securities, touch - and the small, everyday losses that continue to compound. It all hit me in that moment and I had no choice but to allow it all to flow through. I turned toward the sadness and allowed myself to feel the reality that the return of the Easter candy signifies: One year marked by loss, grief, and fear.  Eventually my tears subsided, I felt calmer. And do you know what I did next? I took myself to a favorite park, sat in the sunshine, and ate that whole damn bag of M&M's. Because anniversaries matter. 
Please, in whatever way is meaningful to you, take a moment an recognize and reflect on what the past year has meant to you. Allow yourself to feel the feelings that this last year has fostered within you - the good and the bad. Turn towards your experience with kindness and curiosity. Breathe and feel. The next chapter awaits...

    Author

    Rebecca Ray, LCSW
    Jennifer Worth, LCSW/LSCSW

    Archives

    January 2022
    May 2021
    March 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    October 2020
    March 2020

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

REQUEST AN APPOINTMENT
CONTACT WORTH IT

Connect with us on Socials!
​Facebook: Worth It Therapy and Instagram: @worthittherapy
  • Home
  • Staff
    • Meet Our Staff
    • About Us
  • Groups
    • Daring Way
    • Rising Strong
  • IBS Group
  • Billing
  • Resources
  • Contact Us
  • Covid Response
  • Blog