Happy Holidays to everyone.

I hope you can escape from our much too busy regular lives to  find some time and "peace" to really enjoy the things you like whatever that may be.   I enjoy this time of year because I am able to spend time with family without the nagging feeling that I should be working or doing something on my "to do" list.

Are you a "person of substance"?

Maybe because it is the New Year I have been thinking a lot lately about the people in my life and whether I would classify some of them as a “person of substance”.  I’m not saying that everyone in my life should be “a person of substance”.  There are many different kinds of relationships.   However time is very precious and I don’t want to devote a great deal of time or energy to people who do not have “substance”.   I became very bitter about friendships during my husband’s terminal illness and after he died. (I write about those experiences in my book.)  I don’t want to repeat those experiences.

What does it mean to be a “person of substance”

 The first question is “Are you a person that important people in your life can count on when they really need something especially when “helping” is not an easy or convenient thing for you to do?

More Holiday Talk?!

There is so much said about the holidays it seems almost trite to write about them.  Perhaps what I like most about the holidays is that things do slow down even if for brief periods of time.  I think our lives are much too busy.

At Thanksgiving -our American holiday - is a time to focus on what we are grateful or thankful for. It can be difficult to remember that we have so much especially when our culture is one that values striving for more.  We seem to be pushed to focus on what we lack or want rather than what we already have and could be enjoying.

Christmas is a time for connecting with family, friends, neighbors,community and showing that we do care.  We are so busy during the year that having time to do even some small things is a wonderful gift.  I am a mid westerner so I like to follow one of our traditions and bake Christmas cookies which I take to neighbors and friends.

New Year is not a time of resolutions for me but I do find myself reflecting on the past year and what I have learned, enjoyed and accomplished.  It is a time for me to refocus myself on whether I am living the life I want to live. Where am I spending my time, energy, money?   Am I using my resources and my talents - whatever they may be - to enrich my life and the life of others around me?  Do I feel fulfilled?  You get the idea I think. I can't write down everything I think about but it is a good time to refocus on what is  most important and finding ways to have time for those things.

Happy Holidays to everyone!