It's The Holidays Already?!!
Yup. It’s here! Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, New Years! We are scurrying around, making lists, gift buying, making more lists, oops I forgot someone, returning gifts, re-gifting, gritting our teeth and clenching our jaws in traffic, feeling stress, tension, headaches, depression, anxiety, trying to do the “right” things while putting on a plastic smile, and for some of us, feeling a heightened sense of sadness and loneliness in the midst of crowds and colorful, musical, bell-ringing stimulation.
On the other hand, I know that there ARE people that take the holidays in stride, have it all down to a system, and DO feel a sense of joy, love and gratefulness. Many of us, however, absorb this time period as stress-FULL!
Solutions?
I don’t have any. I could say simplify, but that gets complicated. I could say start to plan earlier, but despite our good intentions, the unexpected always seems to happen. I could say spend less money, but you know how that goes.
I know I am supposed to be the wisdom sharer, but all I can offer is to remind you to breathe and KNOW you are breathing… in…. out… slowly…deeply. Repeat. Repeat again. Take seconds to regroup, renew, and say hello to precious you! We often forget the simple solutions of finding inner paradise in seconds-even in the midst of chaos (at least that is true for me).
Breathe and remember: What is this Season FOR? Besides all of the usual expectations, this season is also here to remind us to set our intentions to love and heal ourselves and others, to share and care, to increase our compassion, forgiveness and empathy capacity, to love our family- despite dysfunctions, and to remember to fight for our sense of sanity and balance: self-care, self-love. Ahhhh.
It’s also the season to remember to give to others in a NON-materialistic manner—a little smile of “I see you-you are not invisible to me,” a small gesture of renewed kindness, increased manners, and opening our spirit to good will towards all humankind.
It is the season to hold and psychically send out the vision of peace on earth. It’s not the Pollyanna syndrome for us to hold that vision. We can’t all be like Eeyore from Winnie the Pooh: Oh dear, what’s the use? There will always be unrest, prejudice, judgment, bias, bullying and wars. Let’s give up.
Visualize peace along with me: What would it look like, feel like and sound like…if we had more inner peace? Peace within our families? Neighborhoods? …(sigh) Globally?
Imagine peace as if it were true. See the healing and love! Hold that vision! Let’s all become peace warriors in walking the path of love as the ONLY path. THAT’S the holiday spirit. That’s the spirit that we need to create each and every day. When we flub up, we try again. Thank goodness for new moments.
Imagine Peace as if it could be true-because what IF it could be? What if?
Shift of Heart (A Prayer and Poem for Peace) by Cheryl Melody Baskin
Envision with me
A shift of heart in all people who seek revenge.
A shift of heart on each side: In those who hate and in those who are hated.
Imagine with me
A day when those who have the power to destroy the world
Feel a transformational shift in their hearts to SAVE the world!
Search with me
For all people to understand one another, and if we can’t understand one another
May we at least, at the very least, respect one another’s differences
Hope with me
That each one of us finds Inner peace, inner love, inner compassion, inner forgiveness
And because of these qualities felt from within
There will be a shift of heart offered towards one another.
Visualize with me
Sending a glorious beaming light through and around our self, each other and Mother Earth.
Let every living being suddenly feel
Love, Transformation, Celebration, Tolerance and Peace.
And may there be a shift of heart within all people of our small precious world.
From Shift of Heart: Paths to Healing and Love
Amazon.com/author/cherylmelody www.shiftofheart.com
