With Thanksgiving done, we are truly in it: the holiday season proper. That means it is more important than ever to carve out spaces of peace and calm because no matter how well-organized your Virgo ass may be, there will be times of chaos and disorder that are going cry out for a breakdown of mid-life crisis proportion (yes, I’m that age). In years of doing this, however, preparing for those moments and being aware that they will pass is the best way to deal with them. Sometimes, if you’re lucky, you can prevent them entirely. It is possible to have an entirely peaceful season if you know how to roll with the punches. It’s the notion of expecting things to be perfect that gets one hung up more than anything else. This is not the season for perfectionists. Let go and let God. Jesus take the wheel.
I’ve already had a practice run-through. It was the day before we were supposed to leave for New York last week. The night of the snowstorm that crippled NYC and freaked everyone out. I was worried about my parents driving from Amsterdam, I was worried about us getting to the train, I was worried about the train being delayed and missing dinner reservations, I was worried about how we would get my parents and Andy from the train station to the hotel… and I locked myself in the bathroom and had a quick little heart-to-heart with myself. Whatever was going to happen would happen, and there was nothing I could do to stop or slow the snow. I had absolutely no control over any of it. If the roads were impassable, there was no way to hurry safety along. If the train was delayed, there was no way to lift it onto another track. I gave it up to destiny then, or the stars, or God, or whatever you want to believe in. I took a few deep breaths. I had control over that. I slowly calmed my heart. I could do that too. I dimmed the lights and turned on some meditation music. I lit a candle and drew a hot shower, giving the steam time to fill the glass stall. Focusing on my breathing, I shut out the world and the worry, taking each step as it came. The soap, the shampoo, the body wash… the softness of the towel, the freshness of the skin, the warmth of the robe. The simple ritual of a shower before bed.
Find your moments of respite wherever and whenever you can, then make room for them. All that worry, eased and erased by a little shower. The next morning we made a careful drive to the train station, where we departed pretty much on time and enjoyed a lovely weekend.
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