With the clock ticking towards the
twenty fifth, everyone is in a frenzy.
Given our days are almost at their
shortest, we all try to do anything
to add joy to a season of darkness.
And as with all forced festivities,
after awhile one gets rather jaded.
Therefore I'm trying to maintain a
level of normality amidst the ever
mounting mania. Yet attempts to
stem Santa's tsunami seem futile
at best. Hence for now it's best to
let go and go with the flow.
Out here in the country, winter is a
time of solitude and reflection. Thus
during these busy times I find myself
dreaming about January. Years ago
I spent a winter at my home in rural
Michigan. There in the land of lake
effect snow, I shoveled my way in
and out of the house each morning
and night. On weekends, the silence
was almost deafening. Yet left to my
own devices it became a period of
reflection, revelation, and revolution.
You see it was just me and me alone.
So many of us spend most of our lives
running away from something. Often
what haunts one the most is the truth
buried deep within. We all have secrets
we'd rather not deal with. However in
the end running away from reality only
defers the inevitable. Better yet to stop,
listen, and embrace one's demons. And
then... move on. That's exactly what I
did that winter of my discontent. Which
may be why I anticipate and cherish the
impending long and languorous period
of post holiday hibernation. Do you?
When is the last time that you were totally
and completely selfish? While in theory
self absorption is a bad thing, there are
times when it's best for everyone that we
think only about ourselves. Sans any form
of inward focus it's easy to lose your way.
Those who piously play the part of martyr
or saint rarely get to a better place. Rather
reaching one's personal nirvana requires
embracing your individual reality - warts
and all. The fact is at times we all need
a healthy dose of self love. When is the
last time that you gave yourself a HUG?
Once one is girded with the armor of
self-realization - you're ready to take
on the world. There's a big difference
in one's outward approach post such
an introspective interim. Suddenly one
sees the world for what it really is. As
important, once you're comfortable in
your own skin you can finally embrace
all of humankind. With clarity comes
a level of confidence that enables one
to evaluate what's best for you which
in the end benefits everyone. All of a
sudden life starts to finally make sense.
That lonely winter changed my life for the
better. And while it hasn't always been so
easy since, I wouldn't have it any other way.
Suddenly my life was exactly that... MINE.
Sans the burden of trying to please others,
be someone I wasn't, or chase other people's
agendas, I discovered my place within this
world. In the decades since I periodically
must step back once again for a brief reality
check. Hence once the holidays are over I'm
going to literally CHILL OUT. Isn't it time
that you did the same? Why don't you plan
the ultimate escape? A journey to YOU!
