The holidays are here! Family, fellowship, food…and
stress. Possibly a lot of it. Maybe even a little sadness, panic, or anxiety
thrown into the mix.
It’s no secret that holidays are hard for a lot of people
for a variety of reasons. And even people who adore holidays may find
themselves succumbing to the ambient chaos of the season, when everything seems
a little faster, busier, louder…and just more. More of everything.
Why not go a little easy on ourselves — and others? Why
not shine a little light for the world around us?
We suggest making an effort to illuminate the holidays
with simple acts of kindness. We can cover a lot of ground here, but in today’s
post, we’ll focus on something super simple yet often difficult: arriving on
time.
It’s easy to feel scattered if one has a calendar filled
with abundant holiday parties and plays, school and work functions, and at
least one big family dinner. Arriving on time makes a world of difference, not
only to your hosts, colleagues, friends, and family, but also to yourself.
Imagine allowing enough time for getting lost or bad traffic
without worrying about being late. Imagine arriving at your destination feeling
calm and collected, not flustered and hectic. Imagine not climbing over a sea
of knees in an already-seated auditorium…joining dinner party conversation
without any residual jitters…taking a breath to relax and enjoy yourself
without rushing around.
Being on time might take practice for some of us—but what
better time to start now? You may have to force yourself to leave at a time
that feels unnaturally early until you have figured it out, but go ahead and do
it…keeping appointments on a calendar you actually check helps, too.
Until next time…shine bright!
