Savor the Season

As Scott and I headed to the gym tonight, I told him what I had going on the rest of the week.  And then I started to list what was going on next week, ticking off the key events all the way up to December 23 when the Christmas celebrations begin.

I can barely believe it's December 12, and soon enough Christmas will be here and gone.  During this time of year, a time for family and friends, relaxation and reflection, I don't want the time to fly by too quickly.  Sure, the to-do list is always there, an inevitable part of life... but when I realized that I was starting to think of the fun and joy of the season (celebrating with friends, baking cookies, decorating) as "to do" items, I also realized that I was missing the best part of the holidays.

My plan for savoring the season:

Build moments of quiet and calm into each day.
Be as present as possible.
Notice the small joys.
Let go of the idea of perfection and the pressure to do it all.
Laugh more, hug more, snuggle more.
Take care of myself--exercise, eat, sleep.
Cut back on the to-do list where I can.
Put family and friends first.
Remember what is important--and what's not.
Thank God for my blessings.

At the gym, I breathed and stretched through an hour-long yoga class.  And in one of those lovely moments in life when your internal thoughts are expressed out loud by another person, my yoga instructor talked about awareness.  Yes, that is what I crave--awareness of the beauty in each crazy day and each hectic week.

With my busy schedule still cycling through my mind, I also recalled some beautiful words my teacher had read a few weeks ago during a Tuesday morning yoga class on one of my days off work.  The reflection, entitled "The Silliness of Busyness," gives perspective on how ridiculous it is to be constantly busy and reminds us that taking a break and taking a breath is a necessity.  (I encourage you to read it and see if you are lost in the silliness of busyness--the "symptoms" sounded very familiar to me!).  I loved the reflection so much that I looked it up online after class... and I was so happy to see it was written by Courtney Carver, the author of Be More with Less, an inspirational blog I have been reading lately about how to grow through letting go and living simply and fully.

So that's my intention for the coming weeks... to be aware of the joy, appreciate the fun, look past the frustrations, savor the season.

With my brown thumb, I am so excited that my amaryllis grew and bloomed. 
What a nice birthday gift from Scott's grandmother!

P.S. Take a look at my new Lululemon hoodie--the Run: For It Pullover.  I had a gift card and wanted to buy a great layering piece.  Gotta love the cute features... an asymmetric zipper, a hood with a hole for your ponytail, thumbholes in the sleeves, "cuffins" that fold over your fists to keep them warm (with an adorable message written each hand).  It's fashionable and comfy--and gives me a boost of motivation and inspiration to work out more.