I have seen many posts lately about how difficult it can be for people at Christmas time. A time that makes us think about by gone days, the good and the not so good memories, the people we have loved and lost. A time of sentiment and an increased need to belong.
I used to believe this too, that Christmas itself could be a challenging time. I wasn’t the biggest fan of Christmas for a long time. Growing up I didn’t think we really had the kind of Christmas other people had with the big tree and all the family gathered round, getting along, singing carols. The kind of Christmas you see in the movies, I longed for that. Instead I often felt more lonely at Christmas, even though there were more people around me, it felt disconnected.
But, this year I know something I didn’t know last Christmas or any other Christmas past. I have been given the most precious gift that anyone could ever wish for. I have been given a new understanding. I have been shown my true self. I know that I am not my thoughts. I know that all I experience is created from within. I know that no thing, not even Christmas, can make me feel anything. I know I am part of the whole and I feel connected, to everything.
I know now that previous Christmases didn’t live up to my expectations because those ideas were not real, they didn’t exist, I made them up. I was hoping for the perfect Christmas to make me happy. I had it all the wrong way around. All I ever needed, searched and longed for was here all along. Knowing that I never have to do anything, change anything, go anywhere to find my happy is such a relief. I can let go, knowing the world is as it needs to be and I am okay, we are all okay.
That doesn’t mean that there won’t be tears or quarrels over Christmas. I may feel sad, I may feel angry, I may feel tired I may feel lonely at times. That’s just the ebb and flow of life. Knowing that a bad feeling is nothing but a reflection of thought in the moment means I don’t need to do anything, new thoughts (insights) will emerge and bring with them feelings of love, peace and gratitude.
And the best part.. this understanding is not just for Christmas, it’s for life 🎄
Sue Wilkinson Coaching 