COVID, the Thanksgiving that Wasn't and the New Year

Cliché as it may be, I truly feel as if I am rising from the ashes of a rough end to 2022.

The new year means a new beginning.

And boy am I ready for the do-over the new year affords us. Back in November, I was flying high and excited over what promised to be a stellar NanoWriMo win. My book was flowing and the characters were coming to life. Then the week before Thanksgiving, three out of four of my household members (of which I am one) tested positive for COVID. Brain fog set in along with a killer cough and fatigue and my writing goals flew right out the window.

Then while we were dealing with effects of COVID, Thanksgiving arrived. The holiday was a lackluster affair. There was no night before pie baking or defrosting of the turkey. The morning of didn't include any food preparation at all—no mashing of potatoes or simmering of homemade cranberry sauce. We didn't have to strategically plan when the vegetarian roast should go in the oven. Nope. In fact, our dinner consisted of four different frozen pizzas—one gluten-free corn-free, one gluten-free dairy-free, one gluten-free meat free, and one absolutely free of nothing. Luckily at this point, for the three of us who were sick, our pizza still tasted like pizza.

I missed baking (and eating) my gluten-free sweet potato pie but we all gave our thanks while indulging in our separate pints of ice cream for dessert (gluten-free, corn-free, dairy-free—you get the idea). Then we concluded the holiday with watching the movie That Thing You Do! If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it. It's a feel good movie that brought some laughter and smiles to our very subdued holiday.

With COVID and 2022 behind me, I am determined to get back to my creative-self, breathe life back in to my characters and get them talking to me again. While I didn't "win" NanoWriMo this year, it's given me a grand start to finishing this new novel. With 41,087 words now written, I'll take that as a win and maybe I'll even bake that pie.

“New beginnings are often disguised as painful endings.” – Lao Tzu

Until next time… wishing everyone good health, a slice of your favorite pie and a peaceful beginning to 2023.

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About the Author

Minnesota-based author, Joie Lesin is a life-long fiction writer and the author of The Passenger. She has long been fascinated by anything otherworldly including ghosts. She loves to write a good ghost story—especially when it includes a touch of romance.