Long time fans of Bliss Habits may recognize this perennial favorite which I’ve spruced up for this holiday season. The power of anticipation and gratitude can be used to create miracles. Come claim yours too!
I’m a big holiday gal. I love any excuse for celebration and I particularly like a good surprise. Christmas morning, before a single present is opened is probably my favorite moment all year. I also like the ride to the airport before a trip or even a few stolen minutes before my family wakes up. There is something about the potentiality of of those moments that makes my soul sing. Once the paper is off the packages, sun lotion is squeezed or the morning routine is underway I forget the bliss of expectations, mostly unrealized.
You see that is the thing. BEFORE anything happens there is this moment of possibility so pure that even though you have had years and years of mediocre, less then stellar happenings, there is always the hope that perhaps THIS TIME it will be one of the perfect ones. A surprise pulled off that totally blows your mom’s mind in the best of ways, a vacation enjoyed so thoroughly that when it is time to go you feel satisfied and wanting no more, or a day of playful seamless joy when you would wish for nothing to change your life even one little bit.
The interesting thing about those MOMENTS BEFORE is that they happen ALL THE TIME. Moments before your husband tracks mud all through the house, moments before a favorite Teddy loses an ear, moments before the sunburn, moments before your child opens the exact same present for the second time… moments before are all still pure potential.
Certainly it may seem as if the tide was already turning in a specific direction when your toddler took the top off the bottle of glue but what if, crazily possibly if, it might be ok anyway. Maybe she won’t pour it all over your new sweater. Maybe she will carefully place it on the table. Maybe she’lll spend 20 happy minutes making a masterpiece of feathers and cotton balls so you can finish dinner. Maybe the sweater will come clean in the washer when you thought it was dry clean only and you will be freed up to wear it all the time. Maybe the sweater will harden into an irreparable lump suitable for cotton ball and feather sculptures that take 30 minutes and allow mommy to take a whole shower all by herself! MAYBE…
As life happens, it is the rare occasion when we allow ourselves to have that Christmas morning kind of thinking. We have limited the amount of grateful anticipation and substitute worry, disappointment or, possibly the worst of all, knowing exactly what will happen. We live lives that are predictable and if we tell the truth are rarely remarkable in our eyes. We’ve been brought up to think that looking through “rose colored glasses” isn’t necessarily a good thing but I’m beginning to think that may be all wrong. What if we could add the slightest shade of pink and add a sense of wonder to our everyday moments. What if we allowed ourselves to be delighted and surprised by all of it?
Maybe, crazily possibly maybe, we can!
This season, and this coming year, let us allow the wonder to seep in! Let’s choose being delighted. I just KNOW the surprises await!
I love this! I always wait for ages before I check my lottery numbers, because that way the possibility that I’ve won hangs around for longer!!!
Love it Karen! I do the same thing!!
This was LOVELY, Kathy! And just what I needed to be reminded of NOW… I’m not a big Christmasy person, so I needed a re-wiring of finding wonder at the moment. Funnily I’m good with everyday wonders. But faced with big holiday preparations, I need work on the wonder in that. ;o) I love this line, “Let’s choose being delighted.” Take that with me this week! Wishing you & yours, and everyone here, days merry & bright! ((HUGS))
Nice to see people living on the greatest level of life. Great article! What joy there is in living like that.
I like the idea of living as though it is Christmas every morning. It makes me think of anticipation.
I often find myself getting antsy, frustrated and angry at the fact that things are not working out exactly as I anticipated they would. But what if I wiped the slate clean? Or dropped all of my expectations and opened up my eyes to the potential of new possibilities? What if I focused on what could happen versus what should happen? It is probably not an easy feat, but why not try it.
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Kathy,
What a delightful way to approach each moment of our life. For example, what if the window repair guy, contractor and broker would arrive at the exact time they said they would. What if I could just take a brief nap because I feel like it (and I did today after tennis!). What if everything could change in a moment – and it can.
Thanks so much for providing a new way to approach the difficult and wonderful events in our life.
Warmly,
Dr. Erica
Starting each day with the excitement of connection, love, fun and all the great things we want on Christmas morning…YES I am GAME for that 😉 Happy New Year Kathy and thank you for your inspiring blog!
Kathy, I really enjoyed reading this. What a wonderful thing to think of all of the “before’s” in the same type of anticipation as Christmas morning. Love it.
I try to be positive most of the time but I think I will also add your idea to the mix.
Have a great day. Monna
Hi Kathy,
It’s great to read your post. I was busy with my projects, that’s the reason I was inactive a bit, specially reading & commenting was completely off.
But Anyways, Thanks for the interesting & informative read. Keep up the good work and enjoy the holidays.
A Very Happy New Year Kathy! Cheers
~ Donna