December 20, 2006 by jacquie.

We have an annual winter event at our house near Yosemite. Friends gather between Christmas Day and New Year’s Day to relax and play in the snow. Unfortunately, it’s so popular that we have to turn people away because we really only can manage to host 14 people at a time. We also have a dilemma every year. What do we do on New Year’s Eve? It seems appropriate to mark the end of the year in some way regardless of whether it was fabulous or it presented some challenges. New Year’s Eve is a time to close out the old year and open up to the new one.  What a wonderful way to close the year, relaxing with friends, laughing, singing, playing, and rewarding ourselves for our many jobs well done.

In the past, we’ve had musical events, mystery dinners, games, movies, and my favorite, white elephant sales with the proceeds going to my favorite charity (www.gpfd.org) that supports projects in east Africa. As I was thinking about the possibilities for this year, I realized the dilemma is indicative of many end-of-the-year planning exercises that set us up for success and satisfaction in the new year.

What is meaningful? It’s important to have intentions for success and accomplishment. That’s why I like the donation events of the past because what better way to start the New Year than to give money to support people who don’t have the resources we have. What represents a meaningful new year?

What is healthy? We don’t want to regret eating too much, drinking too much, or sleeping too little on this one evening or anytime, for that matter. How are we mindful of our physical needs during celebrations and in our daily lives for the next year?

What do we need? This is a good one. Some of us need time outdoors. Others need time away from work. And some of us need time to connect more completely than our regular schedules allow. 

What’s the appropriate celebration for this year? Maybe a moonlit ski /snowshoe event where we take thermoses of hot beverages and a midnight picnic up the mountain road right outside our house. Or maybe it’s a Scrabble tournament where we use our brains and encounter friendly challenges. Some people have suggested going caroling (after Christmas?) to the various houses in our tiny town of Fish Camp. After all, this is a group of singers – why not start the year with one of the things we do best? We have a wealth of potential experiences.

What I do know is that we will have fun. Several of the fifteen years we’ve been doing this presented a week of rain rather than snow. It’s interesting how we adapted our expectations. Instead of building a circuitous sled run and cross country skiing, we played games, baked bread, talked in the hot tub, and read books we never thought we’d have time to read. Whatever the weather brings us, we go home refreshed.

I’ll leave you with the same questions for your own new year: What is meaningful? What is healthy? What do you need? Have a good celebration!

My dance card is rather full for the next few weeks, so I am taking a break from writing this weekly article. Look for the next Vibrant Thoughts at the end of January, 2007.

© 2006, Jacqueline Hale

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December 14, 2006 by jacquie.

The wild dash between Thanksgiving and the New Year is crammed full of events and parties and meetings and work and lists and decorating and planning and… phew! When do we get a break? It’s amazing that year after year, we fill our calendars to overflowing. Many of us need a vacation – even a virtual one will do.

Actually, at this time of year, I find myself struggling with a lot of inertia. Remember the tendency of a body that in motion to stay in motion or the tendency of a body at rest to stay at rest? Either I’m on a roll, getting a zillion things done without a pause for a breath or I’m dozing through several recorded TV programs.  What I really want is to be happily aware of what I am doing in such a way that I actually enjoy it in the moment.

This time of year, I take a virtual vacation every morning when I come to my computer. There’s a webcam in Yosemite that shows me the current state of Half Dome. It’s the most wonderful way to start my work day. If you love snow, you might go to http://yosemite.org/vryos/sentinelcam.htm and breathe in the beauty!

I keep designing delicious breaks in my day – and it’s not always food, although I do love going to the produce market, so I take a break by doing that. I also love watching the birds at the feeder, so I eat my grapefruit at the kitchen sink where I can watch them squabbling over the sunflower seeds. Taking a break for me sometimes means that I cancel something I’ve planned to do, even something I want to do. On Saturday night, we had a fun party to attend. On Friday we performed the second concert in this set and there was a party afterward. Then on Sunday there was another concert to perform and another party to attend. What I needed on Saturday was some peace and quiet and so I sent regrets that we are such old farts that we can’t attend three parties in a row. Too bad too, I’ll bet it was a fabulous event. I did enjoy sitting next to Jim as we both caught up on our reading.

Weekly Activity

I usually suggest that clients make a list of things they love to do so that when they need a break, they don’t have to spend time trying to figure out how to get one. You could create lists in several categories:

• Virtual vacations which are memories or pictures that remind you to take some deep breaths and enjoy a peaceful state.
• Actual activities, such as walking to a special place or playing music and dancing.
• Sitting quietly and doing nothing but breathing.
• Remembering people, books, movies, and events that you appreciate.
• Make the next few weeks as hassle free as possible. It’s a great way to get ready for next year’s promises!

© 2006, Jacqueline Hale