It’s the Monday before Christmas and everyone is rushing like their lives depended on getting the exact gift. You and I know that you can’t go to the store to buy the best gift of the year which is your health. So what is your perfect gift? What will bring you joy this holiday season now that your world view has changed…or has it? It’s a time filled with anxiety and stress, culminating in a few hours of get togethers, ripping open carefully wrapped presents and food, but is that enough?
I just finished the book “prayers from a nonbeliever” by Julia Cameron. It wasn’t the greatest book ever written, but it had a few snippets that caught my attention. The book really followed her every day experiences and the struggles that were self-imposed in her life. She created her own strife and anxiety and now she was writing her way out of it with her own version of “conversations with g-d”. Over time she came to understand on a deeper level that any change, any gift(s) she would receive would be a result of her own belief and faith, and there’s no buying that in any store.
The post on Friday asked, “What’s on your Christmas list?” I’ll ask it again in the context that I put forth above because it can mean the difference between getting caught up in all the trimmings of the holiday and the “shoulds” and “must haves” and experiencing the spirit of the holiday filled with connection, love, and compassion. If you’re not sure about how perspectives shift; it may be a good time to watch Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol”, so you can see that when we reflect on what brought us to this point, any and all paths to health and healing are possible.
Pilgrim Pathway/Surviving Strong 