Resolutions - How's that going?

Remember all those resolutions you made in January?

Remember all those expectations you had of yourself and other people had for you?

Remember all of that stress you placed on yourself right on the heels of all of the holiday pressure you endured?

Did it make you feel like this?  AAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHH!

Consider this subtle shift. 

Make a few SPRING resolutions instead. Instead of trying to rejuvenate your life in January when Earth is in the middle of winter and everybody just wants to hibernate, consider planning your rejuvenation with the Earth’s spring wake-up.

This is a natural time of awakening and rebirth in our culture. Everybody is excited for the first day of spring, spring break, and Easter celebrations. We finally have sunlight past 5 pm so we feel inclined to get out and enjoy the evening rather than cozying up in the house. You see people out walking, children outside playing, people in parks… Everyone is ready to “get out there.” Doesn’t it make more sense to make a few resolutions in conjunction with that?

A word of caution. Just like I said in January, don’t make your goals so high, or have so many, that you feel overwhelmed and the experience becomes negative. Just pick what reset point works for you (New Year’s or New Spring, or maybe something else) and be comfortable moving forward.

The equinox is not that many days away! Happy Spring to you!

Contributed by Melody Lowe

 

 

Merry Christmas

 

HEY YOU! Yes, you! Stop for just a minute.

Enjoy this pause in the hustle and bustle of preparation and merry-making. Give yourself a moment to take a deep breath, look at the friends and family surrounding you, and enjoy a minute of gratitude and peace.

…

Breath and enjoy the moment…

…

I now return you to the chaos of Christmas with all of its many frustrations and blessings.

I wish you and your loved ones a very Merry Christmas!

  

Contributed by Melody Lowe

Tis the Season...

...for many types of celebrations - Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanza, and others, but today I'm focusing on Yuletide.

Since prehistory, the Winter Solstice has been a significant time of year in many cultures and marked by a wide variety of festivals and rituals.

Yuletide was the pagan celebration of the season for many Germanic-based cultures and can last anywhere from weeks to months. All of us have borrowed traditions from Yuletide without even realizing it. Consider the Twelve Days of Christmas! This is the period from Christmas until January 6^th, and I personally refuse to take down my decorations at home until this date. After all, there’s some German in my ancestry.

Perhaps you have a fireplace. Do you burn the Yule Log? This seems to be more of an English custom. Again, this goes through a period of about 2 weeks (or the 12 Days of Christmas) to signal the onset of Winter and provide light on the longest night of the year, as we begin to look forward to the return of the sun.  You may also partake of some wassail around the fire – or maybe you just prefer your favorite wine.

Do you have a Christmas tree, or wreath or other evergreen in your home? Join together with friends and family for a Christmas feast? Join others to loudly sing songs of revelry? All traditions related to Yuletide.

As you ponder what fun activities you may partake of this Christmas season, here’s a link to one in our community you may like to participate in. Hospice of Davis & Wapello Counties “Longest Night of the Year” service.

May you enjoy all the blessings of this holiday season no matter how you celebrate it!

Merry Christmas!

contributed by Melody Lowe