Life During the Holidays

Life is precious, and we tend to take things for granted.  Recently friends and family near and dear to me have had severe life-altering events take place. More people decide they belong to one specific camp or way of thinking, that doesn’t allow them to understand people that are near them. Now more than ever we should connect on the human level instead of categorizing and grouping everyone into what or who we think they are. When push comes to shove, we all need the human connection.

With all these things conspiring to tell me something about the “big picture”, I am on a search to focus on the important things and work at letting the smaller things fall by the wayside.

We all seem to be in the hustle and bustle mode more often than not, and the holidays usually make that hustle-bustle sprocket into hyperspace.  Many of the recent conversations I have had with friends are that there never seems to be enough time to enjoy life or to take the time to do the things that you want to do instead of always hurrying around doing the things you need to do. 

Our family motto is “Nice Always Wins”.  A good friend of mine shared that motto with me when his children were in middle school, and it stuck like glue to my brain as direct and to the point.  It isn’t always easy to be nice or choose good over evil, but when I look back on situations that were unnerving or times in our family’s lives when things might be hard, being nice during those stressful times always changed the dynamic of what could have been a “me against you” mood.  

The holidays are a time of merriment and joy, but also a time that can bring out stress in many different forms.  Not only is it important to be nice to others, but it is very important to be nice to yourself.  This doesn’t mean go out and buy yourself the most Christmas presents, it means give yourself a break on what it is you think the “production” of the holiday season is.  You don’t have to find the perfect gift, create the perfect holiday environment in your house, or serve the perfect meal.  Those things can still be important but your health, mental well-being, family, and loving one another is the greater gift.

Slow down and enjoy the life you have.  There will always be things that need attention or obligations to tend to, but looking back at the daily hustle and bustle, reflect on what is important and what makes you happy.  We are all very fortunate to have this life.  Make it a good one!