November 19, 2007A season for appreciation
From our newsletter Outside the Lines
Socks & Sadness
My heart sank recently when I went to buy a pair of socks.
I’ve nothing against socks. I wear them often.
But walking into the department store I was accosted with ruthlessly upbeat Christmas carols, fake snow and declarations of the festive season… yes, it’s only November 22nd and it’s already December 25th.
Sigh.
The year of buying nothing
As well as the Festive Season, the end of 2007 will also mark the end of an experiment my wife and I have been undertaking - The Year of Buying Nothing.
Our goal was to buy only the essentials we needed to keep our lives running (yes, including socks if necessary).
I can’t pretend we accomplished that flawlessly - in fact, we started to joke that in the last couple of months we’d started to live “The Year of Finding Loopholes.”
But one of the best things about this experiment has been an increased appreciation for what we do have in or lives - not just the stuff but also the more important things like the people and each other.
Gird yourself for the next 34 days
So as we in North America and in various other countries count down towards Christmas and the holidays … and with that, the relentless promotion of stuff to buy… get clear on what you appreciate already, as a way of helping you gain perspective on what it is you want to give and to receive.
Here are three ways to think about appreciation.
Three ways to appreciate what’s already here
1. Think: Big
On the scale of your entire lifetime - what do you most appreciate?
A couple of things that stand out for me
==> The people I love. My wife and her family. My parents. My brothers and their families. My friends.
==> Our humanity and ingenuity. I know, I know - there are so many things that AREN’T working in this world. And yet - who we are and what we can do is simply amazing. We’re capable of greatness.
2. Think: You
What is it about you and who you are that’s worth celebrating?
Here’s what I’m thinking about right now
==> Being born who and when and where I was. Not least, being born with a cleft lip and palate and being born when it could be surgically repaired
==> My sense of humour. I can’t tell you where it came from but I do know it gives me a perspective on life that I love and helps me keep things light.
==> My sense of optimism - or maybe it’s my poor memory, which amounts to the same thing. I thought this photo summed it up nicely
3. Think: Hidden
What do you take for granted, an everyday action or activity that you’d otherwise miss?
==> I’ve recently discovered a touch of arthritis in one of my hips - and the other day, found myself appreciating the fact that I was walking somewhere and enjoying that small and important freedom.
==> The sunrise. You can see for yourself around the world
4. And a bonus: Think: Thank you
If you’re being appreciated - if someone is actually taking the time to acknowledge something you’ve done or the person you are - don’t dismiss the gift with “aw shucks” or “it was nothing”.
That lessens not just you, but the gift of that acknowledgment. Say “thank you” with all the grace you can muster.
What and who do you appreciate?
claire » 22 November 2007, 1:40 am