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Pondering "Busyness"
The stores are already reminding us that “Christmas is coming”! Are we ready for the busy season ahead? My question … how can we add one more thing to our already full schedules? At Credo each quarter, each month, each week we wonder “when will it slow down”? Maybe next month? There never seems to be much of a lull. Yet maybe this is a blessing as well as a challenge. We are grateful to be busy. We are blessed to be healthy and able to live life in full swing. And yet, we long for a good balance.
In pondering why most of our lives have escalated in activity, perhaps we are making up for lost time due to the slow down during the Pandemic. Covid created a forced rest. To be honest, for me it was a gift to slow down … reflect … rest … and restore what was depleted. For many, though, Covid heightened anxiety and caused much suffering and loss. Fears threatened our faith and well-being. For the medical community and frontline workers, Covid created never-ending chaos, stress and busyness. Recovering from this is still ongoing. So what can we do to prepare for a more peaceful Christmas season in the midst of our already busy, hectic lives?
Perhaps “LESS IS MORE” (Less can look different for each one of us)
-Less shopping
-Less baking
-Less decorating
-Less complicated dinner plans
-Less striving for that perfect holiday experience for family
-Less spending and more giving of ourselves
-More candles lit and more prayer
-More quiet meditation
-More Christmas teas with friends
-More music concerts
-More quiet evenings by the fire
-More visits to the lonely & forgotten
-More fresh pine & fresh flowers
-More reflection on the words of the traditional carols
I KNOW Christmas is the most beautiful and extravagant time of the year! Simplifying may seem counter to our long-held traditions and all that we hold dear. And yet, if we feel overwhelmed and anxious about the busyness of the season, maybe it is worth trying something different this year. I am trusting that as I choose LESS, Christmas will become MORE … more peace, more love and more remembering the true reason we celebrate.
God’s extravagant love story is the true beauty of the season.
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