holiday holidaze

Originally posted December 10, 2012

Oh, how I love Christmas! This time of year is crazy and busy and frantic and stressful...all the things I love most. Ha! No, really, the reason I love this time of year isn't based on pretty lights and shiny packages (although I do love those too). The reason I love this time of year is because the majority of us spend time thinking about other people. 

Thinking about ourselves is natural and necessary. What do I want? How come I'm not getting what I want/need? Do I like this or hate it? What do I think of me? These are all questions that cross our minds, right or wrong. At this time of year, we change the "I" to "he,"she," or "they," and that can be a refreshing change of pace. Focusing on another's needs/wants can take us out of our own head for awhile. And we give. We give presents, our time, our love, our money. All in the spirit of saying, I care about you. Feeling cared about is one of the best experiences we get to enjoy. 

Saying, "I care" can be hard. I speak from experience. I makes you feel vulnerable and you risk being hurt. I struggled with this, even with my own family members, for a long time. It was much easier for me to make them something that showed how I felt, than it was to simply say it. I felt the words were just so...easy to say, I guess. By making a present for someone, I got to spend time thinking about that person in detail and what they meant to me. I was able to pour those feelings into my hands to be able to create something specially for them. This is whole basis of b.haven.

Now I'm not saying everyone should make their loved ones presents. I just want to encourage you to find a way to say you care with a good amount of sincerity behind it. Buying something is easy, giving of yourself is much harder and much more rewarding.

Just sayin,

Ms.b.haven