The Holidays (Thanksgiving/Christmas/Hanukkah) tend to shake people up. It’s like we’re snow globes. We’ve been calm and settled for most of the year. Just and occasional shake to get things moved into a new position and then everything settles down again. But then comes the Holidays and a shake fest. Absolutely everything at the surface is up in the air, everything we thought we were finished with goes flying too, issues long past are now in our face, things we thought we’d healed are raw again, and everything seems to be blown out of proportion and in our face. Even if we love our family and had a great time we can still be left in a blizzard or left overs with the remains of the day settling down around us.
Adding insult to injury is the fact we not only need to get this all cleaned up and cleared away, we’ve got New Years coming like a freight train with its pushy need for us to be cheerful and celebrate the coming of another year. A brand new year with different energy, a new list of challenges for us to face, and a requirement that we be up to the challenge without all this flurry of interpersonal “stuff” in the mix. Oh, and lets set some goals, choose some resolutions, make some promises and set those intentions so we start off on the right foot instead of the left.
Well, all those pieces floating around, getting in the way, each one is a message. Each one is a slip of paper saying things such as: “I’m important.” “Who I am matters.” “What I need counts.” “My opinion is valid.” Each one is not just an irritant or a problem, but a key to unlocking the gifts of this coming year. So instead of cleaning things up so you can see the way ahead, instead, play with the snow you’ve already got. Allow yourself to see the beauty in it. Hold your hand out and let some of those messages land. They’re a great place to start when crafting your plans for 2017.
“… we’ve got New Years coming like a freight train with its pushy need for us to be cheerful…” Oh, yes. You can add to that the obligation to party. Have you noticed how horrified people are if you tell them you’ve got no party planned for the 31st? The most dreaded thing ever! People equate spending that evening alone with being utterly miserable, when it really is not the case. The social pressure to be with someone is always on, but even more so on specific calendar dates like New Year’s. So much so that even if you do feel fine being on your own, the thought occurs to you: should I feel miserable? lol