Day Five

The 12 Days of an Alternative Christmas.

For the person who is slowly dying.

There is a kind of time that moves differently.

Not urgent.
Not loud.
Not asking for anything.
Just slower.

When you are slowly dying, the world does not stop.
Christmas still arrives on schedule.
People still talk about plans and next year and what comes after.
That language can feel distant and detached.

Lao Tzu wrote about the natural rhythm of things.
About not forcing what is already moving toward its own ending.

There is dignity in this slowness.
Even if it does not feel peaceful.
Even if it feels frightening.

You are still here.
Not as a symbol.
Not as a lesson.
Not as an inspiration for other people.
As a person whose presence still matters.

There can be frustration in being told to stay hopeful.
To stay strong.
To make the most of every moment.

Sometimes what is needed is quiet.
Sometimes it is rest.
Sometimes it is simply, being allowed to exist without expectation.

Christmas can make this harder.

It asks for energy.
It asks for participation.
It asks you to perform a future you may not be planning for.

This post is not asking you to be brave.
It is not asking you to find meaning.
It is here to say that your pace is allowed.
Your breath matters.
Your moments matter.
Even when they are small and ordinary.

This series is for the people whose lives are moving gently toward an ending that others do not know how to sit beside.

Please, please remember, I am writing this as someone who does not have it all together.

This is not positivity. It is presence.

If this landed, it is because you are not alone, even when it feels like you are.

I wish you good health this Christmas.
Truly.

Dave
The and. team
Debbie Halls-Evans