A recent Twitter post said, “Does anyone else besides me dread the holidays?” My immediate reply was, “if I don’t make time for myself.” That’s what I mean by home. Finding that place to honor and listen to yourself amidst the chaotic busyness of being with family.

Because, don’t get me wrong, (my family is my top priority and I wouldn’t trade them for the world), but they can drive you bonkers if you let them. You too have likely experienced holiday gatherings and talks with family members where you feel as if you’re giving away some sacred place of yourself and not being fully understood, mostly because there are frequent interruptions and they can’t focus on what you have to say. In addition you have to stay present to conversations about matters that aren’t particularly meaningful to your life, though they seem meaningful to them.

Ah…therein lies the second clue to make it all work. You can dread your time with family and feel lost in the shuffle, or you can tell yourself the biggest part of your holiday gift-giving is to really be there for them and put your desires for attention and acceptance aside. Know that whatever family needs to learn about who you are, about your essence, they do get. The rest is really not that important. What’s important is you getting them and them experiencing that. Now that’s a gift worth giving!

This entry was posted on Thursday, November 12th, 2009 at 6:27 pm and is filed under Personal and Professional Growth. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.