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My Vision for Christmas Morning

As I write, it is December 22. For many of us, Christmas is 3 days away. This holiday advertises joy and peace, family fun and togetherness, gift giving and more. Yet often, fatigue, relationship challenges, day-to-day life get in the way of truly being present and delighting in the celebration. Today, I’d like to invite you to set a vision for Christmas morning and then set three intentions to guide you toward it. Ready?

Close your eyes, breathe deeply, and fast forward 3 days. What will you waken to?

My vision for Christmas morning is: _________

In order to actualize this vision, I will follow-through on these three intentions in the days ahead:

  1. Today, December 22, I release ________ to make room for my vision
  2. Today, December 23, I embrace ________ to prepare energetically for my vision
  3. Today, December 24, I remember ________ to help me stay focused on my vision

May your vision manifest in your heart and soul and spirit this Christmas morning!

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When it’s all too much

Today, when I sat down for my morning centering time, I found my brain busy, my body a bit tense, and my heart space a bit teary. While the tears held a message of gratitude, the rest of my being didn’t feel like a place from which I could enter the day ahead.

Stop. Close your eyes. Slowly, mindfully, take 10 deep breaths through your nose. Follow the breath as it flows down into your lungs, expanding your chest. Imagine it flowing through your entire body to the tips of your finger and toes. Easefully hold each breath a few seconds, then release it completely, again noticing how the breath feels in your body. From this place, where nothing but the breath fills your awareness:

What can come off today’s to-do list?
What else?
What else?
What single intention will you carry with you this day?

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Are you “you”?

Who are you? What is the absolute essence that you alone can be? Like the snowflakes, every single human being is unique and unlike every other being to live before or after. Does the world see the intricate beauty of your snowflake? Or are you part of a snow ball, a snow man, a snow igloo? Have you merged with others for the sake of “belonging” or “security” and by doing so abandoned your essence? Have you melted?

Today, allow yourself to notice where in life you are most “you” and in what situations “you” get lost.

What does it feel like to be “you”?
What is the price tag on your snow igloo?
What part of your essence are you ready to reclaim?

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The pace of pause

‘Tis the season when we’re often busy, racing about, and completing the items on the day’s to-do list. And for some, this is energizing and glorious! For others, not so much. For many, when the list is driving, so is the head. Other sources of wisdom: body, emotion, spirit, desire, passion, intuition are ignored.

Wherever you find yourself today, consider a pause. Stop. Close your eyes. Take a few deep breaths. Invite your awareness to shift from the external and your mind, to the deep, inner source of personal wisdom in your heart and soul. Allow the “pace of pause” to take over your being. Then simply listen as you offer these questions:

What is my body trying to tell me?
What am I really feeling?
What energy pervades my spirit?
What do I intuitively know that I am ignoring?

Take a few more deep breaths. Smile. Express your gratitude. Gently redirect your attention to the day, the activity, the stuff of life with fresh awareness.

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What if YOU are exactly what I need?

Imagine a challenging relationship in your life. Maybe it’s your supervisor or a co-worker; maybe a family member, in-law, spouse; maybe it’s your nosey next door neighbor. Regardless, imagine just one person who challenges you, who you find hard to be with, hard to feel compassion for, hard to love. Got it?

What if this relationship is a gift from the Universe?
What if this person is a teacher with a lesson your life is ready for?

What if YOU are exactly what I need?