Does the holiday season engender nostalgic memories for you?
Or are you the type who gets caught up in the hubbub too busy to think about the past? Or maybe you are present-oriented and live in the “Now” as Eckhart Tolle suggests.
I’ve blogged before, I am a hopeless romantic, a positive reminiscing savorer. I love to wax philosophical thinking about the wonderful times I have had in the past. Not that I don’t enjoy the now because I do. I think missing my mom takes my brain back to the Christmas times when she was sitting on our couch like a little child absolutely thrilled with her big pile of presents under our 20-foot. No matter how small, I would wrap everything. When she was a little girl, she usually got a box of crayons and a coloring book. She was thrilled with that. But you know me, I had to kick the fun up a notch… or a ton!
For me it was go big or go home with Mom because she was so utterly grateful about every little present she received. Oh what the fun for me watching her. And my whole family for that matter. We opened them one-by-one and it took 3-4 hours. We relished eating homemade cookies, and oohing and ahhing over our under the tree goodies. We’d laugh our rescue dog, Stash. He was Sean’s “brother.”. A sweet cock-a-poo rescue Benji-look-alike, Stash’s antics always kept us laughing.
One Christmas, Stash ate a 10-pack of Snickers bars. Call the vet! Another time he devoured an 10-pack of gum and left only the foil. Call the vet again! Then there was his sweet tooth gone crazy binge when Rocky ate a pound of homemade turtles from our favorite local candy store owned by my dear friends, Tom and Penny Beerntsen. This time we knew what to do!
I bet you are all extremely busy this holiday season. But I invite you to take a pause.
Think of a very happy holiday event. Here are some powerful questions to help you achieve a plan to savor it even more.
For happy remembering, try these questions:
1. What am I the most grateful for right now? Or during a celebration In the past?
2. How will I remind myself to be grateful for what I already have achieved? And of major importance, how I have helped others?
3. How can I remember I always have a choice how I respond to myself and how I react towards others?
4. What great intentional word do I choose this year? Perhaps: hope, patience, awareness, positivity, loving-kindness, or gratitude,
5. How will I allow myself to let go of regrets? To be grateful for all that is wonderful right now? Forgive your screw ups. You are human!
6. What was the best experience I had this year? Why? What positive emotions did it elicit? Have fun and write a paragraph about this.
7. What do I really want to do that I am not doing? What are my obstacles? Explore your strengths to discover new ways to hurdle your humps!
8. Always know you are enough. Let me repeat that, “YOU ARE ENOUGH!” Big-time, powerful, lovable, capable, and in every way enough!
From The bottom of my heart I wish you an absolutely lovely, happy holiday season filled with loving-kindness, gratitude, joy, meaning and fulfillment.
Happy New Year too,
Judy
