Lets face it the holidays can be hectic but lets embrace this hustle bustle energy and use it to our advantage.  Taking a close look at some of the words used to describe the holiday season, I noticed that if we feel overwhelmed it might be that we are stuck in the action (verb) of a words energy.   Instead of action, we could signify the word with its actual physical and abstract identity (noun) such as a state (happiness) or a quality (beauty). Take a look…

verb: hustle – force (someone) to move hurriedly or unceremoniously in a specified direction, push roughly; jostle

verb: bustle – move in an energetic or noisy manner. (of a place) be full of activity

vs: 

noun: hustle – busy movement and activity

noun: bustle – excited activity and movement, liveliness, 

I don’t know about you but I’d rather take the energy of excitement and liveliness than the feeling of experiencing chaos and hurriedness.  So, the next time you are feeling sad, stressed or lonely remember you could be stuck in the action energy and not the actual meaning or state of being.  Even though the holidays are filled with family, joy and celebration for what love we share, our unique gifts.  The holidays are also known as a catalyst for peoples depression.  So this blog is for the people who may not have that family or joy or the celebratory feeling.  Don’t despair my friends, the honest truth is you are just fine.  No need to get caught up in what you think you need or what society flashes at you during the holidays.  Remember those advertisements are not there to spread the meaning of the holidays, ads are there to SELL products and make money.

So bless all of our hearts when and if we get sucked into that impressive sales pitch.  REMEMBER this… deep down inside you are loved.  Yes, I may be coming across all Topanga hippy right now since I lived there most of my adult life but follow me on this one.   Inside of you there is a unique gift that no one else carries and you were born to share that gift.  Money, career, children are not a measure of your special gift.  It’s your vulnerable expression that can be shared for free.  Just a moment of consideration for a stranger, or a smile can go miles.  So instead of perceiving your life through Verbs . . .   take action to express the experience of living through Verbs.  That way you can understand and appreciate what life has to offer as expressed via the experience of the nouns:  people, places and things — “each other”.  We can not attach actions to a person, a location or an item because they are not verbs.  Our expressions are verbs so show LOVE and Smile and Hug and Laugh.   Let life be your Noun and living be your Verb.

But lets get back to the basics at home.  If you’ find yourself unable to afford a new hip gift for your child or you can’t get your wife that expensive necklace, reach beyond the action of getting these gifts and analyze your reasons behind this behavior.  Your child wants the new cool gift because he or she wants to feel accepted and be like all the other kids. That shiny new necklace you want for your wife is so that she feels the beauty she reflects to you, right?  So lets spin it and take if for what it is.  Encourage your child’s uniqueness and maybe explore other options that are more affordable right now.  Coming from your heart and grounding your sincerity is empowering and can bring more appreciation and joy than you could ever give by a trendy toy or a piece of jewelry.

Let’s strip down this year.  I didn’t mean like that, hee hee  –let’s be vulnerable and still.  We tend to move a bit slower when we have dropped our armor.  So reveal yourself and take your time, allow your senses to guide you in the direction that is right for YOU.  The end of the year is for hibernating and re-calibrating into your own center.  This is true for you even if you have a huge family and feel yourself being pulled around.  Set aside even a moment in the shower to check in and appreciate.  For some of you it may just be appreciating your health and/or an income.  For others it could be your partner or children.  Either way we can remember it is our perception of what goes on around us.

As for me I have found my center and have been in this energy of contentment for awhile now.  Reaching inside I have found the strength of my own choices and embodied my own love.  This has allowed me to have extra love to share and be able to express my gift during the holidays with my loved ones.  Most of all spreading this cheer with a stranger.  Happy Holidays my friends and remember Joy to the World starts from within.