Yesterday I tried to make a quiet day - no driving. Luckily, my daughter drove us for a bit of shopping, and that was fun. New lipstick is an amazing morale booster. It ought to be part of everyone's health regimen. I order some things online, tried to find Christmas stamps at yet another post office, and laid my Christmas cards out on the dining room table - symbol that I am getting cracking at this holiday thing big time. And - tah dah - I picked the date for my holiday party. Now if I can just get the actual invitations out!
I am a firm believer in several tasks a day until Christmas Eve is here. Bite the bullet, then go do something else. The biggest tasks are getting and decorating the tree, and getting ready for the party and cooking. Those require the whole day, and advance forays into the insane world of holiday shoppers. The driving at this time of year is scary, really, really scary. People do very strange maneuvers, and a parking space becomes a recipe for terror. People who are nice the rest of the year turn naughty, very naughty, and I hope Santa sees them.
This is the season of rage, and you get to witness it in yourself and others. It is not a pretty picture. I do a lot of long breath breathing and try to notice the anger as it arises and falls away. The rest of the year I like to pretend I'm calm, but this season all the volcanic underbelly bubbles up and I see my darker self, suppressed, perhaps, but not vanquished. But constantly doing the gratitude practice aids me in behaving better than I might otherwise. I have a mantra when shopping - I have all the time in the world, let others push in front, who cares? Remember there is instant cocoa at home and my new gadget that steams milk, so I can have a frothy, calming hot drink when I get back.
Equanimity, here I come!
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