Arising at my normal pre-dawn hour, I crept into the kitchen to make my usual cup of hot chocolate.
There was the stack.
The stack!
All I could do was break down in uncontrollable giggles.
Givers UNITE!
This is your time and your season!
Without a doubt, you have a right to celebrate. This is your time... to give... in abundance without shame!
After I'd stopped giggling, I sifted through the stack of sales papers that were piled high by someone in my household, getting ready for "the kill."
As I took the stack back to bed to continue to rifle through them, I laughed out loud at some of the items I saw on display at a popular international market:
-3-piece ceramic elephant tea set, displayed in red, but "also available in blue."
-Santa pants filled with Yogurt-covered pretzels
-Alaina bird cage picture holder
-Magnetic dartboard
On and on in the flyer was the display of gaudy jewelry and other unique gifts for under $20.
Why do we do what we do at Christmas time?
Why do we suspend reality and buy things that no one needs, much less wants, during this season of giving.
We want to give people...something...
We want to let them know that we care.
We want to let them know that they are special to us, not only at Christmas but all through the year.
That's truly the reason for giving gifts at Christmas time.
We need to let people know they matter.
So, regardless of how ugly or gaudy the gift in the package, I always feel blessed...in the moment.
That's all that truly matters.
How do you feel in the moment?
Just as much as it's the Season of Giving, it also can be the Season of Discontent.
In some households this Christmas, there will be items thrown against walls...some hurled back in people's faces...glass items deliberately thrown on the floor and broken...items left untouched, as if diseased, once the packages are opened.
These are all responses from disappointed folks about what they got from their spouses, partners and loved ones.
Disappointed folks aside, can we put some reason into the holiday season?
Can we suspend our judgment about the items we receive and simply stay in the moment of joy, absorbing the fact...the fact...that someone thought of us as they were racing through the busyness of their day. Imagine this...
A full day of shopping, then remembering the one person we'd forgotten to include in the gift buying.
Turning back, as tired as he/she might be, to pick up an item...yes, agreeably an ugly item...so you won't be left out in the cold.
Imagine that weary soul.
Say "thank you," for that moment of remembering.
Years ago, I used to be challenged at Christmas time just as many people are today. But I eventually discovered a unique way to celebrate the holidays... almost every day of the year.
Yes. I am a "giver addict," as are most of the people with whom I share my life.
Yes. We're addicted to giving.
We don't try. That's simply who we are on autopilot.
So, in any given day, I walk into surprises and generosity of spirit all around me.
The thing is this spirit, like all energy, moves in a circular motion.
So, what do I do? When I walk into a surprise or a taste of love, I simply continue the circle of giving, letting it flow on to others.
I've discovered that it doesn't matter if it's an item you give, or a word of truth. People respond to that. The gift is in caring enough to share a kindness or thoughtful comment.
Each week I interact with scores of people whom I know "for sure" don't care as much about what I'm telling them, as much as how I make them feel!
Yes, of course they pay attention to what I'm saying. But at the end of the day...at the end of the conversation...the thing that remains with that man or woman, albeit a stranger, long after I've shared the information is the way I've made them FEEL!
I've been witness to a compliment turning a sour person into the gentlest of souls.
I've seen a "I truly understand and respect your position" turn an argumentative spirit into an ally.
How do you make them FEEL?That is the ultimate question.
Do you validate their position? Do you validate them as a person? Do you let them know that they matter, despite having a difference of opinions?
How do you make them feel?
Before the holiday season begins, I spend time thinking of the people in my path who I want to "gift" for the holidays. I think about the imprint they have left on my Soul, and what it is I want to communicate back to them with the gift I give.
How do they make me feel?
How do I want to make them to feel?
I'd like to think that everyone who crosses my path in any given day is special to me and the universe: this is the "namaste'" attitude I support and endorse.
As we all know, the reality is different.
No matter how much we try, there are some folks who will always make us feel
less than whole.
Quickly dismiss them.
Focus on the ones who leave an impression of "goodness" ...of love...of generosity of spirit...of joy.
Think about that spirit inside that personality as you select a Christmas gift for him/her.
What is it you think he/she most needs communicated from you?
Ultimately, that's how you should decide what to give.
It shouldn't be the cost of the item (s).
It simply should and ought to be: How do you want to make them FEEL?
How do YOU want to make them FEEL?
Can you get a handle on that this Christmas?
Yep. Just ignore the stack of sales papers with the magnetic dartboards and "women's and men's gift-boxed jelly watches."
Get into each of their souls.
If you do so, each and every time, you'll be led to give the perfect gift.
Trust me on this.
What is it that you want to make them FEEL?
Namaste',
Che'
No comments:
Post a Comment