After all the running … all the stress … is there anything left for your holidays? Having seen so many people — at yoga class and at their massage appointments — recently, it seems that very few people have had a moment’s peace these past many holiday weeks. No time to sniff a fragrant wreath. No time to sit with a cup of tea. No time for quiet, meditation, or prayerfulness. No time to reflect on the beauty of this season.

In my classes and in my massages, I make a very small intention for those I serve — “I wish you peace. I wish you joy.”

In 1933, Eleanor Roosevelt wrote a piece titled “What I Hope to Leave Behind.” She wrote:

“As I grow older I realize that the only pleasure I have in anything is to share it with someone else. That is true of memories, and it is true of all you do after you reach a certain age. The real joy in things, or in the doing of things, just for the sake of doing or possessing, is gone; but to me the joy in sharing something that you like with someone else is doubly enhanced. …

“With advancing years I feel I must give this question of what I want to leave behind me greater thought, for before long I shall be moving on to fields unknown, and perhaps it may make a difference if I actually know what I would like to bequeath to a new generation. Perhaps the best I can do is to pray that the youth of today will have the ability to live simply and to get joy out of living, the desire to give of themselves and to make themselves worthy of giving, and the strength to do without anything which does not serve the interests of the brotherhood of man. If I can bequeath these desires to my own children, it seems to me I will not have lived in vain.”

And, so, my Christmas wish for you is a simple one:

I wish you peace. I wish you joy. May you live simply and get great joy out of living.

Merry Christmas. Happy Holidays. May the season shine brightly in your heart.

Namasté
Jackie