Here We Go Again!
Yes, we find ourselves in the midst of yet another Holiday Season ~ complete
with all the reminders (as if we needed any) that the Season should be filled
with joy, laughter, gifts, family, friends, gifts, parties, lights, gifts,
food, festivities and . . . did I mention, GIFTS? Yes we are in the thick
of things right now ~ have been for quite a while come to think of it! It
seems that November 1 ushered in all the Holiday commercials on tv, swiftly
swept off the shelves all the Halloween trappings, filled the aisles of stores
with all manner of gadgets and decorations and focused our attention on the
anticipated spending of the upcoming Season. Ah, Holidays in America!
There is a part of me that longs for a Holiday
I’ve never had ~ one that is simple, pure and unadulterated.
As much as I might like for the Holiday Machine to grasp the bigger picture
and help create a focus that invites more meaningful connections, I’m afraid
that the Jingle Bell Juggernaut is rather myopic and incapable of such a
change. What’s a person to do? Well, I’m glad you asked because
I’ve been thinking about that very question and have a few suggestions to share.
Read Mine, Add Your Own!
Recently, I found myself as a guest on a radio show addressing ways to deal
with Holiday stress and grief. In an
effort to provide some perspective to a time of year that can create great
distress, I came up with Five Steps to a Meaningful Holiday Season. I
encourage you to read mine and then add your own if you wish. Here they
are!
- Slow Down ~ All
too often we find ourselves swept up in the tyranny of frenetic activity
without real purpose. My encouragement here is to slow down.
Take time to just “Be” rather than “Do!” After
all, aren’t we known as Human Beings? I fear that sometimes we
engage in activity simply because of outside expectations, thus becoming
Human Doings! Slowing down is a conscious choice ~ a choice to make
the time necessary to feel, share with others and when necessary seek
appropriate support. We can never run away from our struggles or
issues. They are along for the ride or wait patiently for us at the
end of our running. I find that slowing down actually allows me time
to face myself and realize that I am not alone and that I have the
capacity to enjoy the moment without filling it with unnecessary, oft
times meaningless activity. My all-time favorite C.S. Lewis quote
comes to mind here: “The Present is the Point at which Time touches
Eternity.” Slowing Down may actually allow us to fill our
present moments with eternally significant actions. - Retreat ~ What
I mean here is that we need to make time for reflection, remembering and
renewal. Great power awaits us if we will spend some time looking
backward before moving ahead with our lives. The Holiday Season is a
perfect time to pause for such retreat. Often, we must learn to step
back a bit in order to move forward more effectively with purpose and
passion. Retreating can open the door for us to determine the
Rituals of Meaning in our lives that we wish to continue and/or create
that incorporate components of our past, present and anticipated
future. I challenge you to sit down with a cup of hot chocolate, a
pen, a pad and your thoughts. Retreat ~ step away from where you are
to times where you have been ~ reflect, recall and renew. You’ll be
glad you did. - Plan With Flexibility ~
One thing is a given during the Holiday Season – not everything will go as
planned! Count on it! You know what I mean! Can you
actually remember a year when EVERYTHING went according to plan? I
encourage you to anticipate and prepare for the unexpected. Work at
not being surprised when all is not “perfect” or something goes
“wrong.” Often the best gifts are those experiences that
come from out of the blue! Work at embracing the unexpected.
Be open to different activities or locations for your celebrations.
Invite serendipity to your home this year. You just might be amazed! - Take Care of Yourself ~
Often when the Holidays arrive, we give ourselves permission to either
partially or wholly abandon common sense when it comes to our health –
both physical and emotional. I encourage you to approach this
Holiday Season with your head squarely on your shoulders. Eat
wisely, get plenty of rest, drink lots of water, exercise (even a short
walk can be helpful) and above all, maintain established medical
routines. Do you find yourself engaging in activities with which you
are uncomfortable or that create anxiety or distress? It is likely
that an exercise in setting boundaries is necessary. Determine
before your gatherings what you will and/or won’t do. The activities
with which you are comfortable and those with which you are not.
Taking care of yourself creates opportunities for you to be more yourself
and more present for what is important. - Simplify ~ You
know what I mean! What’s the point of going overboard with the
gift-giving? What do we get out of going deeper into debt to shower
others with things that may or may not survive the next six months or may
find their way into the “re-gifting pile” for next year?
Perhaps it is time to scale back a bit. Focus more on
relationships. Aim for moderation in our gift-giving. Re-think
our gift-giving strategies and give with meaning thinking of the person
who is the recipient. Why not look for ways to support favorite
charities during this Season? God knows there are charities out
there that do wonderful work year round that could use a shot in the
arm. (I have a bit more to say about this shortly)
I’m hopeful that you have found encouragement to approach the Holiday Season
in ways that create comfort and joy rather than perpetuate that which often
causes distress. I am hopeful that you will step up to the challenge to
make this Holiday Season Meaningful!
An Idea For You
Give One, Ask Ten!
A Little Math
Anyone who knows me knows
that the math I use must indeed be “little” in order for it to make sense to
me! That being the case I want to share a little multiplication with
you. As you know, I am committed to raising One Million Dollars for the
Journey of Hope Grief Support Center, One Dollar at a Time, One Person at a
Time! What does that really look like? Follow me here:
If 100 people would
donate just one dollar a person to the Journey of Hope, that would be $100!
Simple enough, right? Well, what if each of those 100 people asked just
ten of their friends to do the same – donate just one dollar? That would be an
additional $1,000! Wow! $100 just grew to $1100 in a jiffy! Let’s
keep going! What if those new 1000 people each asked just ten of THEIR
friends to donate a dollar a person and they did? That would create an
additional $10,000 bringing the grand total to $11,100! Pretty cool,
huh? OK, let’s continue. Suppose those new 10,000 folks each asked
just ten of THEIR friends to donate just one dollar and they did? The
total number of folks involved would be an additional 100,000 people and an
additional $100,000 for a total of $111,100. Hmmmm! This is getting
interesting!
Now suppose that
those 100,000 new donors each asked just ten of their friends to donate just
one dollar and they did. At that point, the total number of new participants
would be ONE MILLION! And the total amount donated would be ONE MILLION
DOLLARS added to the $111,100 already given! The goal would have been
exceeded! All of this accomplished in just five generations of people! We
could raise $1Million in a relative heartbeat! Amazing!
All it takes is for
one hundred people to commit to giving one dollar a piece and asking ten of
their friends to duplicate the process of giving one and asking ten!
Think about it won’t you?
In order to donate directly to the One in a
Million campaign, please visit the following Journey of Hope website and click
on the “One in a Million” fund raiser link. Fill in “Give One, Ask Ten”
in the “Donation for Special Occasion” space. http://tinyurl.com/n9xdjk
The fun part of this exercise is that you can do the same for YOUR favorite
charity! Employ the power of the dollar! Expand the reach of your
influence! Embrace the joy of giving!
Thank you for being you!
Until next time . . . Peace!
Mark
Copyright Mark E. Hundley 2009
