Adding Value

Regardless of which holiday, if any, you may celebrate, happy holidays! The holidays always offer a good excuse to get together with family and loved ones to celebrate another year on the planet together. Now I don’t know about you, but for SOME of us, it can be a hectic and stressful time as well. We have all complained at some point about the increasing commercialism that capitalizes on the holiday mindset and distracts from the real spirit of the season (haven’t we?) Yet most of us still fall into the trap of trying to buy our way into the holiday cheer.

To be fair, most of us get a delightful feeling when we can give to the people in our lives as a way to show that we love them. It’s a lovely way to say “Thank-you for making my life special” and an important tradition to exercise generosity. However, there are many ways to add value into the lives of those we love. One of those ways is to show how much value our loved ones have added into our lives.

For example:

You, my extended forum family and internet community, are a wonderful part of my life. I enjoy the thoughts you share in the forum about your interests and goals. I love the compassion you have all shown in some way towards each other, animals, and your fellow humans. I am inspired by the amazing things you all have achieved and done with your talents. Though I may not always comment, I always read your notes. Your contributions have influenced me in many ways – to laughter, to contemplation, to curiosity, and to awe. Those of you who have not yet written in the forum, you still contribute by being a witness to our experiences together – which is one of the best explanations I have heard for why we need other people in our lives. You are all important to me and I would miss you if you weren’t there. I wish you all a fulfilling holiday season. May you marvel at how much you’ve grown and all you have become in the past year, because I have marveled in witnessing that arc of humanity with you. May your dreams for next year be greater that you could ever possibly achieve so you’ll always have something to look forward to and live up to.

Happy Holidays,

All Things Possible,
Chris