‘Tis The Season
“It’s the most wonderful time of the year
With the kids jingle-belling
And everyone telling you be of good cheer”
Image Credit @madi-schwemer
Is it “the most wonderful time of the year?” I suppose it might be for some. What I see is increased pressure to spend, to go, to cook, to overachieve, to get it all done while being happy, calm, and organized. What I hear is talk about another holiday, often Thanksgiving, being favored over Christmas because “there is just less stress and fewer expectations.”
We think of Christmas as the Season of Joy, the time when everyone else seems so happy and has it all together. But that’s a myth. I dare say that even those who appear to have everything—wealth, health, impressive employment, and a perfect family—have challenges we are unaware of. It’s easy to make assumptions about other people’s lives, sometimes thinking no one has the challenges I’m facing. But we all have stressors and challenges.
I have a friend who likes to say, “At the end of the day, we’re all just walking each other home.” She is quoting Ram Dass, author and prominent spiritual teacher, who suggests that life is a shared spiritual journey of mutual support, compassion, and connection as we help one another navigate challenges, realizing we’re not alone on the path.
Can you envision someone walking you home? I can. That picture brings me enormous comfort and peace. It might be someone I know well, a friend or family member, or maybe a new friend. I feel safe and loved when I see that scene. I’m not alone. Someone cares enough to take the time to walk with me and, more than that, to walk me home until I am in a familiar place, where I want to be. It’s possible that nothing is said. The act itself speaks more than words ever could.
Yes, ‘Tis the Season—a Season where the stressors seem to be on steroids, where expectations—our own or others’—feel unachievable, where there appears to be “no rest for the weary.”
What if…this Season,
We cook less and feel rested?
We spend less and feel financially secure?
We don’t overachieve and feel content?
We go less and feel the calm of solitude?
What if… this Season, we actually make changes, not just talk about them? What if…this Season, we let someone walk us home? What if…this Season, we discover that we have the ability and opportunity to walk someone home? Then, it truly is the most wonderful time of the year.
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