It is DECEMBER! Can you believe it? . . . I swear only yesterday we were in June.
So with the last month of the year comes the holiday season and Christmas.
It is the season of giving, of joy, of celebration – but often the holidays turn into a mad rush – shopping lists, queues, traffic, stress and tight deadlines. Tensions are high. Time is limited. We scramble to get everything done as the year draws to a swift close.
Often, it’s not till Christmas Day that I start to remember the true meaning of the holidays. It seems that it’s only once work has wrapped up (excuse the pun), the presents are under the tree, and I have a glass of punch in my hand that I can sink into the holiday groove.
We always have a choice, we get to take responsibility for the energy we bring into our environments.
This year I want to experience a rocking December, the whole month, not just the last week.
So this year I am practicing mindfulness.
I’ve taken on a challenge for December – Random Acts Of Kindness – 24 days of doing something good for other people.
So instead of having an advent calendar with chocolates (although they are the BEST!), mine looks like this:
RANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS CALENDAR
| phone a friend | give compliments | be kind to animals | random acts of candy | create ripples of smiles |
| surprise a loved one | write a kind poem | be kind to you | be kind to the planet | send a hand-written card |
| fix something for someone | thank a do-gooder | high five friday! | teach someone something | call your mum |
| leave kind sticky notes | give to the needy | give the gift of music | turn on your kindness radar | pay it forward |
| give a possession away | ask someone ‘how are you?’ & really listen | let someone go ahead of you | send love | have a merry christmas! |
(You can subscribe too and receive a daily email in December with your random act of kindness – Here’s the link)
This calendar is just a guide, you can use them in order as a daily task, or you can use it more as a bingo board and randomly select something each day. There are so many more wonderful ideas of ways to show kindness, so let your imagination run wild and enjoy coming up with new and beautiful ways to make someone’s day.
I’ll admit, I’m doing this for completely selfish reasons – I love the feeling of doing something nice for others. It makes ME feel good.
And to be honest, I don’t do it enough. Sure the little things are easy; smiling at people, acknowledging others, callings friends and family – but I want to be challenged to do more thoughtful acts of kindness, you know, the ones you a actually have to think about and plan. Like writing a hand written letter to my nana, or putting a kind note on a random persons car, giving food/gifts to a charity at Christmas.
The best part is that there is no expectation of receiving anything in return.
This is PURE GIVING, stripped bare of any personal gain.
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