It’s My Pleasure

December is a very crazy time of year. For everybody for certain. I hypothesize even more for me.

And not in a bad way either..all things I have chosen by my own will so certainly nothing imposed on me, but just around crazy month.

I often feel myself wanting to cry in December from pure exhaustian.

At my place of work December-February and then fall within the top three busiest times of year for my areas so this in and of itself is just really busy.

Put in the fact that I have all family members’ bdays falling around X-mas (Dec 6, Dec 31, Jan 17, Feb 4) that’s a whole lot of bday dinners, birthday parties and gifts.

Note: this is a serious problem of being such a planner: Procreate and plan for a time when your husband  is more free to welcome a baby in our home: December or January. Get pregnancy on the first try each time. Plan worked. Yay. Downer is the actual dates of the birthdays which carry forever on. Clearly would not change a things as then I would have different kids!

Then add on that ski season is a big one in our house with a whole lot of hoopla and preparation and making sure everyone are on the right teams and completion and instructor programs and have the right suits and goggles and helmets etc…and they all grew this year a lot!!! A lot!!! All new stuff.

And then preparing the two houses for the winter season. With the goal of relaxing a lot by the fire. Right now feels like the chopping of the firewood won’t lead to any relaxation but I am sure I will feel differently in a month.

Oh ya and then Christmas and holidays. Forgot about that.

So all self-imposed-all good-all great-but just a bit chaotic at the moment like everyone else I know. Good problems to have right?

Add in there a few unexpected, time consuming mini crisis and you have yourself a whole lot of stress.

So what do you do with that stress?

That good stress?

What is the best way to handle it?

I did it differently this year. Each night after a long day of work..where I have a long list to look forward to of dinners to plan, and people to invite, and parties to prepare for , and gifts to buys, and gifts to wrap, and people to see, and dr appts to attend, and organizing to do... basides of course normal dialy life which never stops for chaos.

I take a deep breath and say to me “this is my pleasure”

And it works!

This is my pleasure to have the money to buy these gifts, to choose that perfect PJ set and slippersr for a daughter who will love them, it is my pleasure to have two beautiful homes to decorate with lights, it is my pleasure to be able to afford quick and fast private medical career that provide me answers quickly to dilemmas and puzzles. It’s a pleasure to be in a mall and have a a stress not having the time to chose the perfect gift for someone who loves me and whom I love.

It’s all a pleasure.

And an honor
And in the end it will all work out just perfectly.

So the trick is to stop and breathe, and do things more slowly and with pleasure, to enjoy the process and not just the outcome. To slow down and trust that it will all work out ok.

And to take the time to enjoy that sandwich at the food court, and the writing of that letter about to be sent off, to take the time to really read the cards being sent, and to choose with clarity what can and should be done on your to do list.

It’s to be more kind to ourselves. And more kind to others.

And to realize in no uncertain terms that we are blessed and need to be grateful to have the opportunities that we do in life and the chance to have a life to fill and complete. And to ensure that every gift we gift and each one we receive is given with pleasure and happiness. And if we don’t..to just not give that gift at all.

To make December less about the gifts we buy and more about the gifts we give from our hearts. The ones we give all year to the ones we love just because we love them and we like to see them happy by doing nice things.

So yes it is a pleasure these last couple of weeks to be me. Completely.

And I am proud of myself for not forgetting that this year.

PS-as I write this...Bear just started throwing up...and we have an important dr appt with Chase tonight that cannot be missed...and Bear is my sittter..and he is contagious and sick......it's a pleasure!!! Remember!!! Breathe!!