Where's Your Holiday Spirit?

The holidays are an interesting time of year. As I reflect on this time last year, some things have changed, but much has remained the same. I’m living in the same place, with the same partner, living more or less the same life. And I’m honestly thrilled about that.

It’s hard to not get caught up in holiday madness: unnecessary spending, all the extra eating and drinking… these are the features of the holiday season I’m less happy about. For those of us who struggle with food/weight anxiety around all the seasonal treats and gatherings, this time of year can be tough.

Ever the cynic about New Year’s resolutions, I went into 2019 with a word for the year: TRUTH. Throughout the course of the year, the word changed to one that served me well: BOUNDARIES. Nearing completion of my first calendar year as a self-employed person/small business owner, creating healthy boundaries and communicating my needs and limits are the lessons I needed to learn this year.

Making room for the unexpected—and the lessons that life has for me—has made my life better.

As 2019 closes in on its last days, I’m constantly reminded that there’s just never enough time to get everything done that I want to. My ever-growing queue at the library has me simultaneously excited for all the things I have yet to read and depressed that my reading list grows at a much faster rate than I can reasonably keep up with, but we do what we can. We’re all human, with the same 24 hours in every day as everyone else. Learning to be more gentle and patient with myself and others will be a life-long project for me: one that self-employment has made all the more crucial to a happy, balanced life.

So just like last year, I’m focusing on gratitude over the holidays. No obligatory gift-giving; no over-the-top celebrations. My holiday spirit is more subdued, but it’s there. And I’ve never felt more thankful.

(The image for this post is me on Christmas morning in 1985. If only I could retain the unbridled enthusiasm for the holidays as I had as a kid…)