Welcome to the Friday Writing Essential!
I struggled to come up with a meaningful topic for this post, mostly due to my own busy week (Tuesday was my daughter's birthday), preparing for the holidays, and the realization that many people are otherwise occupied, both mentally and physically.
By this time next week, Christmas will be over. For some, it will be a welcome relief from the harried activity while others may feel let down. Personally, I have always loved certain aspects of the Christmas "craziness": the lights, the decorating of tree and home, baking cookies and other holiday treats, and the general aura of goodwill in the community. But there are other aspects I do not enjoy: the never-ending commercialism, the increased traffic, and the hectic pace.
Every year I've promised myself to cut back and focus more on the true meaning and spirit of Christmas, and every year, I've made minimal progress. This year, when the country seems to be facing such adversity, I made a decision to feel less obligated and more in control of how I spend my time.
I vowed to get more rest and only do the things that were truly important to me. So far, I've been successful and as we come into the home stretch over the next several days, I remain committed to having a more relaxing, more fulfilling holiday. I spent less money and feel very good about it. I made more time for having fun and laughing with my daughter. I decorated the house, but less so than in previous years. I baked, but without frenetic marathon kitchen sessions. I consciously slowed the pace, and found I could actually enjoy each activity instead of just barreling through them as they're checked off the "to do" list.
I also made time for myself, something many people set aside at this time of year. It's always important to think of others and to give of yourself, but that's hard to do when you're depleted and stressed. I always keep books on hand and make at least thirty minutes each day to sit quietly and read. I find reading helps recharge me and provides a welcome respite from life's pressures.
This year, as I sit in church on Christmas Eve with my family, surrounded by the true spirit of Christmas, I will remember my Gather friends and pray that each of you are finding your own way to celebrate the season and remain true to yourself and your personal values. I wish peace, health, and happiness for all of you and your families.
Happy Holidays!
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"Look," I tell my workmates, "See how I've been swept up by the Christmas spirit."
They are not impressed.
They give me the odd look they always give when I make such pronouncement then they rush off to meet their deadlines, trailing longs lists of shopping requirements from their purses and pockets.
They look so unhappy, but then they never look happy. For them, unhappiness is happiness
People in my work area tend to be stress seekers and the holidays is the crescendo of their calender year. Their motto for the season is, “You Will Enjoy This” and the guiding principle is “everything is never enough.”
Me? I thought my idea of green and red markers was an extravagance, but then I came into work yesterday to discover “MERRY CHRISTMAS” written as scrolls of holiday cheer across the top of the board and tasteful sprigs of evergreen drawn as borders along the sides.
Someone had taken time to hang ornament drawing off the events boxes of my activity diagrams and another hand had markered in a string of brightly colored Christmas lights.
This morning, I received a memo directing me to chair the Greg's White Board Decorating Committee.
Enough chat, I have to get back to task now. I need to draft a mission statement, a set of goals, guiding principles and high level requirements for the group – and have it done by 9:00AM this morning.
May God bless.
Thanks for your comments.
Merry Christmas to you and yours!