Joy in the Midst of "To Do" Lists

"...He has thrown himself into shoveling snow as if it were the purpose of existence, as if the sign of a perfect life were a clear driveway you could back the car down easily and drive off into the vanities of the world with a broken heater fan and a song on the radio..." ~Billy Collins, from Shoveling Snow With Buddha

Welcome to Ignite Your Voice Coaching!

As I look outside my window, it is a frigid 17 degrees Fahrenheit, and there is something close to 20 inches of snow on the ground. I have no doubt that Wisconsin will experience a White Christmas this year. As far as I recall, the last time that we had this much snow in December I was 9-years-old, and school was cancelled for 3 days. (Wahoo! Three snow-days in a row!!! :) My mom couldn't make it into work either, so we all stayed in and made Christmas cookies together--sugar cookies shaped like Santa's, bells, and candy canes covered in colored frosting. Nearby, there was a large parking lot, and when the plows came, they shoveled all of the snow to one side of the lot so that to my little eyes, they had created a snow mountain. I would bundle up in my snow suit, mittens, hat, and boots and spend hours on that mountain pretending I was a snow queen, and it was my castle. The magic and joy of that time still overcomes me to this day.

Now, of course, there is a whole new layer of experience surrounding this time of year that doesn't necessarily make me feel very magical. It is amazing how difficult it can be to hold onto that feeling when there is shoveling to be done, cars to be cleaned-off, gifts to buy, cookies to make, cards to write, oh and yes, bills to pay. For many, 'tis the season to be jolly, but for some 'tis also the season to be stressed out--so much to be done, so many traditions to be preserved, and people to please. Whatever religious beliefs that you hold, in whatever climate that you live, chances are pretty good that you are feeling some of the stress of this holiday season, too. With that said, many of us may be wondering what the heck we can do to have some peace-of-mind at this time of year.

First, let me begin by telling you what I am not going to do. I am not going to give you a list of "5 ways to stay sane this holiday season" or "4 things to ensure this is the best holiday season ever." I've seen enough of those around in newspapers and magazines, and I don't know about you, but those lists give me heartburn and make me feel like I have even MORE to do then I did before reading them. The only thing that I will ever invite you to do is to listen to yourself. In the midst of this season that is rich with ought's and should's, do's and don'ts, what is your heart telling you? (And no, I do not mean Aunt Judy's voice in your head telling you that she'll be so disappointed if you don't come home for the holidays this year.) I mean your own voice--the one that wants to rest, or play, and can't stand writing out holiday cards?

As hard as it is to believe, no matter how many voices inside of your head are telling you otherwise, the only task that you ever have to complete, the only one that truly matters, is responding to your own inner voice. The joy of this season does not lie within what we do or do not do, give or do not give--it lies within our own experience. What is it that you would really like to do this holiday season? What new and exciting traditions might you be able to create this year to honor that? Who knows what magic that you will create simply by listening to yourself!

If you would like support in listening to and honoring your inner voice amidst the limiting beliefs and chatter that may surround you, I would love nothing more than to assist you in that process. As always, you can contact me for a free sample session in order to explore the many gifts that my coaching has to offer you: igniteyourvoice@gmail.com.

Much Love and Happy Holidays,

Melissa Simonson
Spiritual Life Coach
www.igniteyourvoice.com

Copyright Melissa Simonson 2007