Whelp...you made it through Thanksgiving....

Is it even possible that Thanksgiving is over and we are hurtling towards Christmas?  HOLY MOLY!  Or, if you celebrate Chanukah - OY! VEY!  And, I'm pretty sure that there is a similar expression available in every culture and faith that expresses that overwhelmed feeling that we all get from time to time.  This post is going to ask you to re-read the last one - there's some decent advice in there.  But more than that, it is going to ask you to STOP trying to outdo yourself!  Step back. 

RELAX. 
And, this time around, I'm going to ask you to make a list.  Maybe make a couple of lists.  Make at least ONE list before you go to sleep tonight.

1. First off, make a list of what you NEED...things like providing food, shelter, warmth, etc to you and those you love - those are NEEDS.  And, when we get down to it, most of us don't need for much.  Most of us, thankfully, have the very basics covered or know where we can go to *get* them covered.  Of course, we want more.  We almost always *want* more.  But the basics can usually be covered in some way, shape or form.  Even for those of us with next to nothing.  
   
2. Next, make a list of what you WANT...this list is probably going to be a LOT longer than the needs list.  We humans are funny...if we have this, we want that.  If we get that, we want something over there.  We are NEVER satisfied!  And, at the end of the day, the pursuit of our material wants tend to overshadow a good portion of our day.  What would happen if, just for a moment, we flipped that paradigm and went the other way? What would happen if we decided that we didn't WANT for anything?  At least not right this minute...not today.  What might happen?   Well, I'll tell ya...in that moment of not wanting, we might just find the subject of our THIRD list...
   
3. Make a list of those things for which you are grateful.  Blow off the other two if you want to, but do this one.  Do it right after you finish reading this. If we stop for a minute, or maybe a bit longer, we will be able to clear our minds of the chatter that's out there.  That drumbeat I talked about last time that tells us that we need more, bigger, better, different.  And if we do THAT, well, that allows us to stop and concentrate on some of the good stuff.  Maybe stuff like kids, family, pets, etc - all the usual things that we say we're grateful for.  And it also might allow us to think of some of those small things...
   
   1. a bit of warmth from the sun on a chilly December day. 
      
   2. the smell of pine needles
      
   3. saltines - who's not grateful for saltines?
      
   4. Maybe you saw something that made you chuckle to yourself today.
      
   5. Maybe you heard a child laugh
      
   6. Maybe you had the opportunity to see a bird in flight, or a leaf blowing on the wind - that's worth something!
      

My point is that, while it might not *seem* like it, there are little things to be grateful for every day. But it is up to us to look for them, note them and appreciate them, even when we are so busy that our heads are going to pop off and even when we want to curl up in a ball and say, "Bah, HUMBUG!"

Merry Christmas, my friends.  May you feel peace this season. 

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