After six decades of anecdotal observation, I have come to realize that life seems to take a holiday on the holidays. That's not to say that the frenetic pace of preparations can be construed in any way as a break, but rather that the daily drudgery and mundane machinations of life as we know it seem to settle into the background as the energy and enthusiasm of the holiday season (whatever YOUR holiday may be), steps to the forefront and takes a position of preeminence over all others.
How often do you hear people (or even your own inner voice) say: "Oh what the heck, I'll have another cookie - it's the holidays." Or "What's one more piece of chocolate going to hurt me, I'll start being good again after the holidays." Or the classic "Ok, twist my arm, I'll have another - it's only Christmas (Hanuka or Kwanzaa) once a year." This same food-oriented festive outlook also seems to spill over into politics, rivalries and even cancer. Somehow in the moment of the holi-daze, the bad parts of life (and they are many and real), become less severe or less pervasive, and the chance to laugh a little more, indulge a little more and even possibly "forget" a little more - becomes more prevalent. In measured doses any of the aforementioned can tend to be a bit therapeutic. And maybe even a model for a post-holiday perspective that allows for a bit more latitude, a bit more understanding, and a bit more patience - about the many challenges that affect/infect our daily lives.
Our troubles are real and our challenges are many (health or otherwise), but we seem to be able to overlook them somewhat during the magical holiday armistice. What if this year we extended that "truce on troubles" by one extra day - and give BS a break. And then the year after that we strove to extend it by two days. And so on and so on. Why in no time, we'd be living the majority of the year in holiday mode and dealing with our trials and tribulations with an adjusted mind-set. It won't make the problems go away (no amount of ignoring it will cure cancer), but it could just make the days more manageable, the nights more restful, and the struggles more tolerable.
Let's touch base for a mood-check on December 26. I'm willing to give it a try - how about you?
