I love the holiday season. I enjoy the connections with long-time friends, family, new friends and business associates. Christmas carols fill the airwaves and even the nightly news reveals wondrous stories of people making a difference. We constantly experience and witness the best that people have to offer. Often our inhibitions are cast aside in favor of freedom and celebration. The world around us stimulates our senses! Cookies baking, lighting spectacles, gifts, music, laughter and generous actions reflect the beauty of the season.
I added my own life celebration many years ago. As Christmas and the New Year approach, I reflect on what has occurred in my life during the year. Some years have been filled with significant landmark events while others have been more subtle, appearing to be less significant. What emerges from the quiet and reflection opens me to an appreciation of my life. Life at the beginning of the year started in one place and has ended in another. I often sit in amazement at the unfoldment of life and the changes that have occurred. I am able to see how my life is supported and tailored to my growth. The situations that may have blinded my objectivity can be released when the bigger picture is explored.
How I traveled from point A to point B may have seemed clear at the time but further examination shows me it was part of a greater picture. For instance, this year I was faced with so many unknowns. I retired from my career as a real estate agent, lost my brother just before his 60th Birthday and relocated 1200 miles away. Life has started from a new place within me. For the first time in my life, I have a new sense of freedom which has unleashed a deeper sense of joy. Taking time to reflect, I know I am in the right place at the right time for me. The feeling of freedom has expanded my vision and reinforced my awareness that my actions are right for me. The unfolding of life in this new location verifies that acting from a place of inner knowing, works. It is constantly giving me more than I expect. This move is becoming one of the biggest in my life. I have become more confident and more comfortable in my own skin. I owe this to my willingness to be quiet, learning how to live life from within myself and to let the outside world do its thing.
I see my life working even as I know there are still many mysteries to explore. What would you learn if you took time out this holiday season to reflect upon your life?
