Beautiful Northern Beaches: Unexpected Hot Spot for Christmas

The Northern Beaches of Sydney has become a ‘hot spot’ for Christmas 2020. Not quite the hot spot we are used to living in, unfortunately, a COVID Hot Spot. Strict quarantine measures are in place for residents of the Northern Beaches community. We must stay at home unless for shopping, exercise and other essential activity. We are in lock down now and more than likely for Christmas and New Year and even into January. The timing sucks!

Reality

For me and my Mum it means a quiet Christmas at home with the turkey, plum pudding and champagne… Hmm! That sounds Ok! Actually! On a sad note, I cannot recall a Christmas that I have not sung at carols or Mass.

It is difficult explaining COVID and the need for restrictions to Mum. As she states ‘Heaven forbid! We never allowed the blitz in London stop us from attending Mass. Midnight Mass was important.’ She grasps the concept of a virus as she is a nurse. But at 97 years of age, the idea that it is world wide and an unseen foe is a too much to comprehend. We will win this war by ensuring we ourselves, as individuals, do not become infected.

We are on track to have a wonderful Christmas together. That includes communicating with family and friends via phone, Skype or other. What have you got planned in the way of communication with family and friends?

I am grateful to live on the Northern Beaches and call Sydney home.

Sincerely, gratitude is felt in the heart and found within a simple truth. Here are some facts I regularly share with students and friends who are residents of the Northern Beaches and Sydney. The lottery is a simple mathematical excercise on awareness of place. It knocks the ball out of the park and beyond Mother earth in so many levels of life.

The Lottery

The world’s population is near to 7.8 billion people.

• Australia, a country claimed to be one of the best to live in, has 25.5 million people which is 0.03% of the world’s population living as citizens.
• New South Wales, the state that per head of payable taxes keeps every other Australian state afloat, has 8.1 million people and is 0.001% of the world’s population.
• Sydney, arguably the most beautiful capital city in Australia has almost 5 million people. This represents 0.0006% of the worlds population.
• The Northern Beaches Local Government population is 275,000. And, as anyone who lives on the Northern Beaches will tell you, ‘this is God’s country.’ Only 0.00003% of the world’s population live on the Northern Beaches.

‘You have one’

The Northern Beaches residents of Sydney, NSW, Australia have won the ‘Lottery of Life.’ This hot spot issue is a blip which we will overcome. So please, just do the right thing.

If you have the resources and knowledge to read this blog post, then you can do the same Math for your home situation anywhere in the world and come up with a similar figure.

So please, no complaints from any of you! Particularly, my Australian friends. We have been blessed and spared much suffering during this year of COVID compared to the rest of the world.

It is up to us as individuals to remain hope-filled with the spirit of Christmas joy deep within our hearts. In this way, we can give the best Christmas gift of all… the gift of Christ as we smile and greet each other.

Beautiful Northern Beaches: Unexpected Hot Spot for Christmas

7 Things to do during a lock down and a ‘Christmas Staycation’

On a lighter note, I have some good ideas to help you through this period even if you are not in a lock down. I believe this list may help.

1. WAKE UP! Get up! Preferably in the morning.
2. PLAN YOR DAY. Make the beverage of choice and sit down to reflect, read for 15 minutes or more and PLAN YOUR DAY! This could mean that you get up before the kiddies wake up! Do it!
3. SCHEDULE A WALK – what gets schedules gets done… or others will fill up your day with their wants and needs.
4. RING A FRIEND(s). Go pat on the head a member of your household and hug a pet.
5. HOBBY TIME. Start or get back on track with a hobby (s). Mine is fountain pen restoration and writing music.
6. SLEEP. Get 7-8 hours every night. Avoid late Netflix Binges. Begin a binge early afternoon.
7. Go back to step 1. Wake up!

Any other ideas to add to the lock down Christmas list? Please share in the comments section below.

2021 – ?

Good luck with 2021. None of us can really predict what the new year holds for humanity. But we can know and create what the year holds for us as individuals. Set some “SMARTER” goals as my mentor and friend Michael Hyatt promotes.

Do not wait for the future – go create it!

Have a Holy and Merry Christmas where ever you are. We are planning too!

Mum sends her love.

Love and Blessings,
Vicky

Beautiful Northern Beaches: Unexpected Hot Spot for Christmas

Beautiful Northern Beaches: Unexpected Hot Spot