This time of year there is lots to do in our family. There are multiple weekends to plan ahead for, gifts to purchase, events to attend, parties to host, and small traditions to continue with the kids. It’s easy to get overwhelmed merely by glancing at our December calendar page, which hangs on the pantry wall.
When I need to rein myself in, I like to make lists. I like order and organization. I like to prioritize and check things off.
But this year, I’m committed to remaining peaceful; to not let myself grow frazzled or stressed. So I’m trying something different.
This year, I made a list of the fun, awesome things I actually wanted to accomplish this month. Instead of allowing this season to be dictated to me, I sat down and wrote what I envisioned.
Instead of crafting and organizing multiple lists, I started with one list. My list. The list that really spoke to my heart.
Here are a few of the things that made my list this year:
- Make time every other day for yoga (even if only 15 minutes (Yoga-Go is helping with this!))
- Share time with our family in our home
- Cut and decorate a real tree (the tradition continues, thanks to Bernard’s Tree Farm)
- Make it to Longwood Gardens for the Christmas displays
- Sit in a chair for five minutes if anything at all makes me stressed (so long as I keep it chill, this one is already checked off my list!)
This sounds like a simple, maybe even stupid little list. But it’s mine. And it’s the priority. A few things for the family, a few things for me, and nothing that needs to be compromised.
In making a list and finding peace in the process, I realized something even bigger. The real peace isn’t in the list itself. Peace lives in saying “No, thank you” to the items that don’t make the list. That’s what I really need to breathe peace into. The idea that I can decline, prioritize, and shift what I have told myself NEEDS to happen every Christmas.
This is not to say that other things aren’t important. It’s merely to say that I can’t do it all. And that is ok. It’s more than ok. It makes me feel free to know I’m not capable of every single thing. Some moments are just for joy. For breathing. For slowing down. And living. And enjoying the moment.
What brought you peace this week? Share the peace!
I’m aiming for less of what’s in the video below…..but I laughed out loud, anyway. Enjoy! Thanks, SNL!
4 the Love of Peace 