I must confess that I am a humbug. Today for the first time in years I went to a mall to go Christmas shopping. Because of the hectic pace of the past few months, I lost track of the time to do my usual organized, online shopping and was thus reduced to having to go to the mall. I live a five-minute drive from a mall, so transportation was no issue; it took me longer to find parking than it did to drive there in the first place. And even though I went in early afternoon (before 2 p.m.) there was traffic congestion and terrible parking and the stores were packed. I found myself cranky and ill-tempered as I trudged through the stores looking for the narrowly defined items on my person’s pitiful shopping list. So I shopped for about an hour and a half before heading back home briefly. I then spent a few hours of my late afternoon helping my sister get some things organized at her house in preparation for decorating their tree and decking their halls.
I am grateful this evening for time off. As I wrote yesterday I am looking forward to some time gathering with family and for some time for quiet reflection by myself. Mostly I need to rest and contemplate changes that I need to make in how I care for myself. This is the time of year when people reflect back on the year past and look ahead to the coming year. I’m not sure how much I’ll look back, but I do want to spend a little time considering how I want 2013 to unfold. There are definitely certain things I want to accomplish and achieve in my life, as well as conditions and circumstances I want to create for myself in the months ahead. I will likely spend some time writing out some goals and expectations for the coming year.
Expressing gratitude for the many blessings in my life is also likely to remain an important part of my life, though how I go about expressing it–publicly through this blog or other writing–or privately might change. We shall see. One thing I’ve learned from the intentional focus on what I’m grateful for is that the more I acknowledge the blessings in my life, the more blessings I discover. And while that is not my motivation for why I write this blog each day, it is certainly a pleasant side effect.
Tonight I have fallen asleep several times as I’ve written, so it is time for me to sign off and get some rest. I appreciate all those who look in and read these daily writings. I hope you continue to be inspired to look for the blessings in your life and offer a word of thanks. It is a wonderful way to engage the world around you. Peace to you all.
