This time…. on the heels of the insanity of the last two years and in the throes of the cultural press to do/be/spend more than we can graciously embrace… let the Holiday Season just BE.
Let go of the stories we tell ourselves about what is necessary and expected. Let this be the moment to test-drive a different context for this time to unfold. Slow down! And frequently… when the pressure is greatest to speed up…. choose instead, to stop. Take a pause, dropping your attention deep inside your own body – which is the last place ‘the story’ wants you to be.
Consider the thought below, recently shared with a delightful woman I have had the great pleasure of spending time with on ZOOM. Yes… ZOOM… likely the best idea that has emerged from the dread and isolation of the last months.
The joy is always there. Like, my little Grandson’s face when the tree lights go on. Or, plowing through the thick blanket of snowy perfection that turns the yard into an adventure! Or, the Christmas card that shows up in your mailbox from someone who still knows the magic of something to hold; with considered and thoughtful words, handwritten with a pen!
I don’t know what your moments could be. And I do know they are there.
Sometimes, we just forget to notice.
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“A gentle reminder that joy is a state of Being… and that state of Being can be as transformative in a moment as it is in a day… or a week.. or a lifetime. Perhaps discovery would expand if you were to invite and allow joy to enter your moment… however it might be presenting. No matter the moment we are in – even those that are filled with challenges, to-do lists, others, etc. – joy always lurks in the space in between. Like, noticing a moment of giggles as you spend time in the car with one of your children. Or noticing a curious moment that surfaces with your husband as the dinner dishes are being cleared from a shared meal. Moments. Sometimes tiny and furtive. Sometimes dominant and lingering. All, nonetheless, joy. The nibbles and snacks can be as nourishing as the full-course meal.
In my own evolution, I began to realize that I never really had to look for joy – I just had to notice it was already there. Joy lives in the noticing….. “
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(Photo by David Bartus: https://www.pexels.com/photo/red-petaled-flowers-on-braches-1710355/)