Give it to yourself, or to anyone else …
by Mike Brannon, guitarist for the Texas based Synergy group and Zen Art Lighting designer at Lightlink Lighting
Possibly the best gift we can give ourselves, or anyone
Is the gift of letting go. The ok to not do.
About ten years ago, after 9/11, I came to what seemed like a logical solution and somehow managed to convince my family that we could exchange gifting each other with physical presents with physical presence.
I thought it would improve the holiday experience in a number of ways: less stress, no returns, no fighting holiday traffic, no stressing over finding time or money to get the perfect gifts, less likelihood of anyone experiencing an accident in holiday traffic, less disappointment, less giving in to commercialism. Less. Less stress, more clarity. A chance to breathe, just be and not do. In short, a return to what the (dogma free/free range) season was originally supposed to be about. Less is once again, more.
Amazingly, it took. We still have and enjoy a tree, the usual feast, a fire, a glass of wine, games of Scrabble, dessert, hot chocolate, telling the same (and new) stories, ancient holiday music, candles, wreaths, cards etc. But mostly each others company and happiness. Seeing, enjoying, and sharing the evidence that we are each still here and happy for another year. We can all do this. It’s enough. We’re enough.
So, it’s really not bah humbug, but a deeper sense of peace, clarity, acceptance, and caring for each other and understanding of why we all ever did this to begin with. A re-evaluation. The time we celebrate is irrelevant. As irrelevant as who or what. We can instead celebrate every day, every moment, every breath, just for what it is. Just because we’ve been given them. It’s not about a knowledge of when anyone may or may not have been born, or what they said or did, where they were from, or even a certain belief.
Other than love.
I wish you all that. Today, everyday, every minute, every moment, every breath. Love. Gratitude. Forgiveness. Peace. Life, unity and health. For as long as we have it.
And, smiling from within, allowing each of us to be who we are.
Image: Some rights reserved by gabriel amadeus