Here are some tips to make your holidays happier, healthier and more beautiful.
More will be done from a distance this year. It will be difficult to celebrate in our traditional ways with family and 
friends. We need to take a step back and see how we can gather at a distance and still get our emotional and spiritual needs met this year.
Breathe. Makes you more calm. Gives you time to back up and take in the important stuff and let go of the garbage. It lowers your blood pressure which may make everyone around you happier.
Exercise and Energize. Now is the season to replenish the stores. Yes, some appreciate the winter wonderland and all those snowy activities but remember to stay warm and eat to nourish well. Bone broth is a great way to do this. Look back at a previous blog (Jan 2016) for that recipe.
Exercise does not have to be in the snow but avoid the tendency to hide in the back of the cave and not come out until spring. Have to use it or you will lose it.
Accept and Appreciate. Take a look around. Even the simplest things have great value. Give them the respect they are due. Accept that what you have is perfect in and of itself.
Understand more. Lots of fear going around these days. The answer is not always packing a pistol. Take time to really listen and understand people and situations. It’s also called respect. It goes a long way to release the fear and resultant anger. Understanding also weighs less than a gun and can be just as powerful.
Tolerate more. We need more Love, less Hate, but that is hard for many people. So I suggest you, at least go to neutral and just tolerate others. You will never be surrounded by people with whom you always agree on everything. Just too many of us. So take a deep breath and let go, move on.
You. This is where you get to be #1 (that’s ‘number’, not ‘hash tag’). You do get to have others care for you. You do get to be first. You know how others like it when you give to them. Take a deep breath in and accept what they want to give to you. Then say ‘thank you’ as you exhale. All the energy you absorb will energize you, make you calmer, stronger, more patient.
Notice a common theme – Breathe, Respect, Love, Understand, Accept, Energize. All these things work together synergistically to bring about Balance inside us and around us. What we have inside will exhibit itself outside. So if you don’t like what you see around you…
Have a wonderful holiday season and a joyous and beautiful new year.
