The Present In My Mind

Christmas was getting closer. Everything had become tinsel-ized. The present in my mind eclipsed anything else that might have been there.

The present . . . the answer! The present beyond all presents, designed just for me. A present so perfect that no other present would ever be needed, or wanted.

A present – of total fulfillment and meaning – filling in all the blanks and all the unknowns. A gift, like a vacation – a hiatus – putting on hold the repetitious mishmash of every typical day.

A cure-all, a perfect tangent, an apparatus to filter out everything that is substandard. A wrapped box brimming with all that makes my heart dance, a captured chunk of enlightenment to be cherished forever. A masterful amalgamation of completeness.

The ribbon was slowly removed. The top, ever so lightly, lifted. I readied myself to watch the spectacle unfold.

As the top was moved aside, the contents revealed its importance. As if it was the only present in existence, it extinguished every other thought. When it was tilted for maximum inspection, it’s true nature was exposed.

At first glance it appeared to be a swirling, abstract stew. But if a word was brought to mind, it would appear. Car? There’s a red convertible, now ten, now every conceivable car possible. Stream? There’s a bubbling brook, now it’s almost a river, now ten streams, now every stream possible. Any word, any concept, they were all in there.

A mighty pause came. A pause of no words, a pause in search of meaning, a pause of incredulity.

A look back inside the box revealed that it now contained – nothing. There was no thing there. Another look and everything was again visible and intact. Then – nothing – again. Then everything.

A moment later the box just disappeared, vanished, leaving nothing but an uncertain memory.

Amidst the other discarded wrappings was the red ribbon that adorned the present.

I looked at the shadow it was casting . . .

just to be sure.

The Best Gifts

Some under-the-tree gifts are good. Those that shine a revealing light on a subject that identifies a facet that could be made better, like a new, more technological pen, that would assist a calligrapher.

But, gifts that are perfect – can’t be given.

Perfect gifts are subtle, they bring pause and reflection. Their light illumines not just a facet of life, but life’s whole essence. Perfect gifts bring decisions about how we, as individuals, view things.

A perfect gift may lead to the decision that your life is really your own and that you, alone, are responsible for every facet of it.

And what might be an example of a perfect gift . . . ?

Hearing perfect words at the precisely the right moment. Ruin. Addiction. A broken heart. Vulnerability. Time. Isolation. Misery. Poor health. Insomnia.

A couple of those are seemingly ugly words, for sure. But for some, are the only paths to freedom. If any even come close to making freedom and happiness possible, they have done their job.

They are not necessarily ‘ugly’ words. It’s how we view those words that matters.

There is an expression; ‘So happy you jump up and down.’

May that feeling be in the hearts of everyone this Holiday Season.

The Spirit of Christmas

“At this time of year it’s easy to forget the true meaning of Christianity – the lies, the corruption, the abuse.” Banksy

All we can do with time is share it. Can we take the Christmas Spirit of this year and distill it? Forget about it being an event that is compulsory and happening on just one day per year.

Determine not to view it as an event that is purchased from a store or found under a tree, and attain the realization that it is best experienced from the ‘state of mind’ of a child.

Let’s dust off the boxes in the attic labeled ‘Wonder’ and ‘Magic’. Bring them down and dump the contents on the living room floor. Play with the contents. Relive those moments from the past that you so cherish. Those deep, personal memories that only a sensitive, vulnerable spirit can behold.

Explore the remembered reactions which showed what people really appreciated; tears of happiness, the buried laughter the olive green sweater brought, the childhood excitement of anticipation., snow angels, your Angel, shared glances of appreciation, Christmas carols, hot chocolate, watching others smile, the smell of pine, sparkling lights and the sense of other’s well-being.

This coming Holiday is a time of higher spirituality. A time of rebirth, love, happiness and joy. May the Holidays that each of you experience this year be extra special, extra insightful – and free from any negativity.

Let’s join hands across the miles and help each other enjoy the most wonderful times possible.

Individual Saviors

Many of us have experienced problems or difficulties in our life that have led to resentment, hate, anxiety or addictions. And fortunate we are if they are in the past; conquered, overcome and are now just memories.

If we had a problem, let’s say an addiction, and we overcame it, something delivered us from it. We were dying and some thing rescued us. This thing that saved you, was not for everyone, not a group of people – just you.

It was an ‘individual savior’. Previously, we engaged in well-intentioned, but futile, sacrifices to free ourselves. Then, one day, in one magic moment, a wall of our prison just fell apart, revealing that we were free of that concern.

Along with this individual savior comes a beautiful feeling of completion, a ‘knowing’ that one of our troubles has been vanquished, conquered forever.

In ourselves and others, this ‘feeling’ brings about many wholesome and pure responses and character changes. If someone overcame fear, perhaps ‘over-abundant joy’ took its place. If it was smoking, care for the environment, or health, may have been its replacement.

Understanding these incredible advances in personalities can be a huge help to us in understanding the actions of friends and others close to us.

Incidentally, this concept of individual emancipation can be applied on a bigger scale. When we get to the point where we realize OUR well-intended efforts are futile and we turn EVERYTHING over for a higher answer, our prison is effected in the same manner, except, then, ALL the walls crumble.