Being Present is the Real Present
There is so much pressure around this time of year that puts strain on our social relationships on top of the financial stress.
Everything is expensive and everyone is doing the best that they can with the resources they have available to them. I do a lot of work with families and many of them are experiencing poverty. I cannot forget the look in a parents face when they talk about how much they want to give their children the world this holiday season and yet we both know the limitations - a little bit of money can only go so far.
It makes me think back to my childhood and how we survived living in poverty. It wasn’t by complaining about what we didn’t have, it was about creating memories and experiences that you can carry with you and cherish - these are worth more than money. When we couldn’t afford Pokemon cards, I remember drawing out and making up my own version of the game based on the McDonalds toys we had laying around the house from Value Village. When we couldn’t afford fashionable clothes or haircuts, it forced us to innovate in fashion and become trendsetters. When we would go to the food bank, I would make a game out of it (in my head) and pretend I was saving the world. Those gifts and experiences helped me to feel like I am special for who I am, that I am good enough today without having to change or do something for others. Those gifts make me wonder about how I can share this good medicine with the people that I love?
Being present is the real present, the best gifts are the memories and experiences we share with our loved ones! This message is everywhere at Christmas time, in memes that float across our social media timelines, in holiday cards, in media like The Grinch. But why do we have to repeat it so much? I think it is because too often we can get lost in the noise and the messages of money, capitalism and things. This spirit of greed and materialism is strong and it is everywhere. I worry especially for the little ones in our lives who are so frequently exposed to messages of money = love and the strain that can cause on their relationships today and in to the future. I think the solution is to be the medicine ourselves, to live the answer in our actions. I am going to be deliberate this holiday season and extend as much grace, kindness and compassion as I can to those around me. I hope that in this time of difficulties and challenges that you can find goodness in your heart too.
Let's do what we can to shine a little bit brighter for our relatives who need a little bit of light. Let’s give gifts of our time and attention to others, let’s do things together that create memories that we can carry with us that last longer than the dollars in our bank accounts.
Happy holidays and kisashkitinow (I love you all).
