As we enter November and the holidays arrive quickly I wanted to take a moment to talk about truly putting presence over presents. This year it feels like Thanksgiving is earlier than ever! Two weeks from today, how did that happen – I feel like we were just taking First Day of School pictures!? In addition to the time going faster, it also feels like we as a population are doing more, constantly running from one thing to another. With the fast pace of life these days and the never-ending to-do list it is hard to believe we take the time to enjoy anything.

Presence

Presence as defined by Urban Dictionary:

presence

Living in the one singular moment. Elimination from the mind obsessed creation of time. No time. Pure consciousness.
One singular moment. Living in the now. What would life look like for you if you just took a moment to live in the now? Would you be hungry? Would you be joyful? Would you be lonely? Taking the time to evaluate the moment and the emotion/feeling you have in it can work to best serve your future self. So often we keep ourselves running, constantly thinking of the next thing as a way to distract ourselves from the needs of the moment.  Perhaps if we listen, we could tend to ourselves the way we often tend to everyone else. 
 
No time. Elimination from the mind obsessed creation of time. This to me is the most profound part of the definition, the creation of time. When I stop and think about the implication of that statement it almost stops me in my tracks. This point is so true I hate to admit it. We constantly create deadlines, schedules and plans based around different timelines that WE CREATE. Perhaps if we took time out of the equation the opportunity to accomplish our task would be less stressful and more enjoyable. If we just let the obsession subside and truly believed that there was more than enough time for it all, perhaps there would be.
 

Presents

As the Wish Lists grow longer and longer, keep in mind that kids won’t remember 80% of Christmas morning six months later. What they will remember is making cinnamon rolls with grammy or playing Rummy with their cousins. 

Pressuring ourselves to cross off their Wish Lists for things they often don’t need or won’t use is killing the spirit of Christmas for many of us. It’s pushing us past the point of Jolly Old Elf and into the category of Scrouge. And the worst part? It is all self-driven and unnecessary!

My Promise

As the holidays approach I am making a promise to myself. A promise to experience the moment to the fullest. To listen to the needs of the moment and work to meet them. To embrace those around me and really listen to what they have to say. To enjoy a cocktail with an old friend. To be silly and do ‘kid stuff’ with the nieces and nephews. To embrace my family in all their dysfunction and glory – because this is now, these are my people and this is our story. 
 
Good luck my wonderful friends! Cheers to the most wonderful time of the year!
 
May your cup always be filled with coffee, your Prime orders always on time and your Target always be open!
 
xo, 
C
 
 
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