The holiday season can be such a magical time for many of us. The scent of delicious meals and desserts fill our homes. Candles and twinkle lights make the walls appear as though they’re dancing. Laughter and good cheer fills the air.
It’s all wonderful, but it can also be overwhelming to many of us. The need to be “on” for hours at a time, as well as all the noise and sometimes confusion can be draining for introverts. This is why I like to make sure I give special gifts to the introverts in my life, gifts that will help provide them with a little time and space to themselves.
Every morning I quietly slip downstairs, sometimes with my 4-year-old niece in tow, and open up the large cabinets as my eyes fall directly to the middle shelf. I have seen them all before, but today is a new day with new emotions, and I desire to feel the stir of something new. I yawn as I study the cups before me, all the while assessing my current mood for the morning.
One thing about our world: There are more ways to receive advice than ever before. A century ago, the main directions you’d get for living might come from your mom, teacher, spiritual leader, and a few well-selected books. Today, we have countless blogs, websites, and yes, even magazines advising us to do all sorts of things — many of them contradictory.
Picking the best approach to life can get confusing when so many pundits make their cases so strongly. Business mavens will tell you to go the extra mile, act with gusto, stand out and brand yourself, and never let up. Yoga types will tell you to slow down, savor the moment, smell the roses, and just let go. It can be hard to decide who has your best interests at heart, or even who knows best! But no matter which advice presents itself, each of us ultimately has to wend her own way through the world.
Passion is whatever nurtures your unique spark and lets it blaze untamed.
What form this piece is going to take, I don’t yet know.