Dear Aunt Mary-
Every year I suffer the 3 same stresses- Thanksgiving, Christmas & New Year’s Eve.
I love to see my family but I become very overwhelmed by the franticness of it all. I’m fairly relaxed but everyone around me is spinning! I know you can- so, please help me.
Sincerely,
Vicky S.
Vicky-
First of all, take a deep breath (my great niece teaches Yoga, I like to call it Yogurt, & she’s always chatting about breathing). Second, read your note to me because your answer is right there. I’ll give you a second to read it-Ok- Let them spin around you. You be the calm at the center of the holiday storm. It’s possible- don’t think it isn’t. In fact, you can change the franticness by just being still. Watch the people spin around “from a distance”, like you are watching a comical holiday movie. Detach from it and see the humor- not to laugh at them but with them. What? They aren’t laughing? They can. Help them. Lighten up the franticness. Be the light, be the calm, be the joy. While it might all sound incredibly clichéd, I promise it’s wise. I’m wise- humble and wise.
Damn- the more I listen to my niece, the more I sound like her.
Here’s the deal- you knew the answer. It was in your question- that happens a lot. I better stop writing now because I’m going to write myself out of a job…
Anyway, if all of that doesn’t work-
You know my go to advice…
Tell stories, laugh and cry- tell the truth to the people you love then drink some beers and dance on some tables and, if life doesn’t give you bananas, make apple bread because it’s too short a life to live miserable
Aunt Mary
