It’s December – certainly one of the busiest months of the year. It’s a time when businesses are wrapping up deals, preparing year-end reports, drafting next year’s budget, and tying up the loose ends of 2016. In your personal life, it’s a time when you decorate, shop, wrap, cook, clean, travel, send holiday cards, plan and/or attend social events and school functions, and attend services at your church or synagogue.
In the metropolitan area where I live, there are literally hundreds of concerts, shows, plays, recitals, special performances, parades, caroling and Christmas tree lighting events scheduled every afternoon and evening. It’s the month when we get together with family and friends to enjoy Christmas or Hanukkah and New Year’s Eve with those we love. And, of course, during the four weeks of the month we try to get together with those people whom we haven’t seen all year – squeezing in breakfasts, lunches, dinners, parties, coffees, happy hours – filling up every possible day, hour, and minute. I’m exhausted just thinking about the frenzy.
For me, this December is different. Out of necessity – rotator cuff surgery December 6th – I’ve been forced to push the “pause” button. And while it’s not easy for a person like me who tends to regularly exceed the speed limit in most areas of life, I’ve decided it’s a good thing and something I can recommend to you. Now, I’m not recommending rotator cuff surgery, but I am suggesting that pressing the “pause” button is a good idea. Here’s why…
- Pressing “pause” has forced me to let go of some activities and tasks, things I’m discovering aren’t necessary. It’s helping me simplify. Confucius said, “Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated.” So true.
- Having my dominant arm in a sling (reportedly for the next six weeks) is causing me to learn some new skills – like typing, putting on makeup, and dressing with one hand. It’s forcing me to slow down and rethink how…and why…I do things in a certain way.
- Pressing “pause” is giving me time to read, think, meditate, pray, plan – important activities that are often neglected, especially in the busiest of seasons.
So, let me recommend that during this special time of the year you press the “pause” button – even if it’s only for 15 minutes or an hour. Focus on the season. Think about the things that matter and the people you love. Relax. Breathe. Enjoy the moment. And be grateful.
I think you’ll find that if you give yourself the gift of a pause, when the time comes to press “play”, the music will be sweeter.
Wishing you and those you love a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and abundant blessings in the coming year.
©Copyright 2016
