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That time of year has come around again. Songs are being sung, baking is being baked, turkeys are scared, and stockings are being hung. Some are getting snow; some are getting a heatwave, and some are heading away from the snow to be in a heatwave. Each of us celebrates this time of year in our own way, in our own time. Some of us celebrate on the 21st, some on the 25th, some for 8 days, some not at all. But one thing I have noticed is that this time of year makes people a little nicer, a little gentler, a little more generous. We smile more, laugh more, and love just a little bit harder. On the downside, some of us also spend more. But we won’t talk about that! We try and touch base with our families, whether they be near or far. We hug those close to us a little tighter and those long-distance phone calls are a little sweeter. We start to see the world through the eyes of the children around us as they revel at the lights and the decorations. The wonder in their eyes at the Christmas tree’s and the presents. The sugar rush as we indulge in our favorite Christmas sweets. The thrill of comfy pants as we overindulge in our favorite Christmas meals. The love, the comradery, the fellowship we all feel, this time of year. Then come the resolutions, of which I never make any. For, as anyone knows, those are meant to be broken. You are resolved to do them, so you are already in the mindset of bucking the system. So, you break them. I make a choice to try. Try and be healthier, try and be kinder, try and be more tolerant. If I aim to try and do not succeed, I can try again. If I aim to do, and do not, I let Yoda down. So, I aim to try. I try to be better than I was last year, last month, or even yesterday. If I lose my temper, or I speak unkindly, then I try and do better. Remember folks, we are human, and are genetically predisposed to make mistakes. It’s how we learn. Caveman didn’t start a fire and immediately know it was hot and would burn. He had to lose and eyebrow or two before he figured it out. Mistakes, the great learning tool. We always tell our children, learn from our mistakes, but we have to let them make mistakes on their own, even if it is the same ones we made, so they can learn. Learn a new way, a better way, or a different way. This time of year always makes me reflective, and no, not in the glow in the dark kind of way. Introspective if you will. What could I have done better over the last 365 days, what could I have let go of, or hung on to? What will I try and do next year, what goals will I set? What new thing will I learn? What mistakes did I learn from? All these questions swirling around in my head. Most I never have answers for, which is why I keep trying and keep learning. And, of course, keeping making mistakes. Some big, some little, but each one I try and take something from. A lesson. Not all of them are profound, but each one makes me a little better, a little smarter, or just a little more careful! I still haven’t learned how to step over those stupid cement parking lot thingy’s! I guess what I’m trying to say is that, no matter how you pass this time of year, use it as a time to reflect, to turn inwards and see where you need to heal, to improve, or to let go. The darkness is starting to fade as the light is returning, so should our light. Start the new year off with an intent to try and be better in one area of your life. Maybe it’s just being able to tolerate people at Walmart, maybe it’s working towards that Bachelor’s degree, whatever it is, make a promise to try. I have experienced a lot of loss in the last month, family, friends, family of friends. It has made me realize that life is very short, and totally unpredictable. Don’t wait to do what you know you want to do. Don’t hesitate to say what you need to say. Don’t wait for the right moment, it may not come. The right moment is the moment you feel it, the moment you want to say it but decide to wait. The right moment is the moment you are in. Live in each moment, for those moments make up the memories of a well-lived life. Merry Christmas my friends. May you all be blessed with health, love, and happiness. Until next year, Stephanie J. Bardy
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