The holidays are coming! The holidays are coming! So much joy in sharing time with family and friends for both Thanksgiving and the December holidays. My family celebrates Christmas in a big way. I am more of a solstice celebrator and I find room for it all. I also notice a bit of unease arise in my belly. I am deeply grateful for the rich social connections which yield many invitations and celebrations over the holiday season. I love catching up with folks in holiday cards and seeing friends and family at events throughout the season. The pace is a considerable upshift from the other ten months of the year. I used to power through with caffeine and booze, but I have long let those boosters go and my truth arises…. I like quiet times with deep connections and slow pacing. The party scene is hard for me. I kept this Truth at bay for years thinking I needed all the busy, loud and boozy. The seasons riches come in very different packages now and I must stay self-connected and resist old urges in order to find them. This year, I am inspired by Adyashanti’s words. He said, “the more in harmony you are with the flow of your own existence, the more magical life becomes.” I want this.
Reflecting on past holiday seasons, I see how I was easily swept up the hull-a-baloo for weeks, leaving me spent and longing for hermit-ville by season’s end. Overindulging in food and festivities placing outfits and punctuality over presence. The holidays don’t have to be crazed. In my effort to fortify a new way to holiday, I am setting a theme – love. A focus on love will keep the good vibes flowing to and through me, and my heart and spirit open for delights and surprises. The noise of other needless things will fall away. Imagine days filled with the spirit of love. My whole body softens with these thoughts.
I am calling on the following three tools to support this intention of love. I hope you will join me:
- Daily meditation. Ten minutes each morning and each evening to connect my Being to the greater universal love energies allowing needless energies to fall away. Steady, daily love infusions ought to keep overwhelm at bay and help me stay aligned with this rich intention.
- Person-of-the day. I will choose among my loves and dedicate a day to loving thoughts and wishes for them. I often call a love to mind when I am stressed or worried. Thinking about all the ways I love them and how my life is enriched by their presence shifts up my energy and softens my heart. Maybe I will even make a little calendar with their photo on their day. Endless possibilities and so many smiles.
- Inspired playlist. I know the holidays have their own sort of music but this theme easily translates into a playlist. Just putting mine together had my spirit soaring in the good love vibes. I am sharing it here so you can join in the spirit-lifting dance party. Click here to enjoy a the playlist on Spotify.
The ”love” intention is already working. My belly no longer aches! I have high hopes for more joy and presence in the coming weeks. It does not have to be the same as it ever was. You, too, can choose a theme and make a playlist and invite your friends to join you.
Blessings,
