Things I’m Avoiding Doing December Challenge Day Twenty Five – Take a Holiday
I’ve always preferred the British term “taking a holiday” to the American idea of “going on a vacation”. When I think of vacations, I think of vacating – literally “to be empty” as in vacuum, vacuous, and vacant. Holidays, on the other hand, were originally “Holy days” – a sacred time to renew, recharge, and reconnect to the highest and best we have within us and around us.
To take a holiday today, make sure you spend some time nurturing your spirit and deliberately connecting to the quiet, stillness, and good feeling within. You can read, watch, or listen to something that inspires or has special meaning for you; you can take time to really be with the people and things you love. You can even just spend some time contemplating the mysteries and wonder of being a part of the human experience.
Here’s how the enlightened Scottish mystic Syd Banks wrote about it in Richard Carlson and Ben Shields anthology, “Handbook for the Soul”:
You can begin the process of nourishing the soul by living in the present moment, in the now. And if your mind wanders, don’t take these thoughts too seriously. Just let them go, realize that they are nothing more than fleeting thoughts, and you will soon be on your way to finding the peace of mind you seek, with loving feelings for yourself and others bringing joy and contentment to your world.
Here’s why taking a holiday, even if only for a few hours, has such a powerful supportive impact on our ability to get things done:
Every moment we spend in the quiet and stillness of that deepest part of ourselves strengthens our faith that all we are is all we need.
Have a lovely day, and I’ll talk with you tomorrow!
