Here
Come the Holidays
“When
you come to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on.”
Franklin
D. Roosevelt
So, here we go
again—heading into the holidays. Some of us are gripped with excitement. It's our favorite time of year. We love the lights, the
decorations, the food, the gifts—everything about it. And, some of
us wish we could go to sleep and not wake up until January 1st.
I find this breaks down by those who grew up with happy family
traditions they loved, and those who grew up with chaos as the
primary holiday festivity. I fall into that latter camp.
Every year, I try to
figure out how to take care of myself, and, at the same time, not become “Debbie Downer” to everyone around me. I am better able, in my
dotage, to not allow holiday fever to overwhelm me. I find that I
do this best when I don't take myself or anyone else too seriously.
Allowing others to enter the fray and circle in the whirlwind,
without feeling the need to scoff and criticize, makes me a somewhat
nicer person, and does not require the energy expenditure of
righteous indignation.
I find pacing to be
helpful—not the sort you do with your feet, but the sort that
involves time and energy. Not packing too much into each day, not
setting deadlines for myself, not feeling that the world will blow-up to
high heaven if I drop a lose end. When the urge to speed up besets
me, I practice breathing—feeling the breath coming in through my
nose, traveling down to my belly, and returning by the same route.
Focusing on just a few breaths is usually sufficient to back my motor
down to first gear.
Let me reassure you—I
have dropped many loose ends—and somehow the world continues on
unabated. I'll bet that would hold true for you, too. There is also
the possibility of finding something about this time of year that
pleases you, whether it's the flavors, or the colors, or the time-off
from work—whatever gives you pleasure, focus on that.
And...breathe, people...breathe. As for all of you happy holiday
revelers—carry on! Enjoy! God loves you, too.
In the Spirit,
Jane
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