Comments on: Mindful Holidays, Part I

By: Mindful Holidays Part I

Mindful Holidays Part I — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 00:49:41 +0000

[...] Share your thoughts at Mindful Way of Life. [...]

By: brook

brook — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 22:03:03 +0000

It’s true – time with relatives makes sure we never run out of opportunities for mindfulness practice! Brooks, thanks for commenting and I hope you’ll come back and post about your mindful holiday experiences with family.

By: Brooks

Brooks — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 17:58:26 +0000

Thank you for this great post! I was especially struck by the part about mindfully approaching events you do not wish to do, but cannot change. I recently heard Eckhart Tolle discussing this with Oprah, about how purposely experiencing every moment of these previously unwanted events can actually make them interesting and meaningful. It’s the intersection of mindfulness and acceptance. I’m going to try it out when visiting my relatives . Peace…

By: brook

brook — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 21:55:11 +0000

Thanks for sharing your family’s way of celebrating Paula. Seems there are as many ways to celebrate the holidays as there are people in the world. After giving myself permission to celebrate any way I choose each year, I’ve noticed that the focus is different each year, sometimes more toward the spiritual, sometimes more toward family, sometimes more toward social contribution, and sometimes I’m totally into decorating in new ways. This year I feel focused on quiet, spiritual connection and friendship.

By: Paula Spellman

Paula Spellman — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 16:52:45 +0000

While raising my children I felt the increasing pressure of the commercial vs the spiritual celebration of Christmas, so I decided to acknowledge both. I explained the difference to my daughters and it allowed us to enjoy the “Santa Claus” event fully for what it was; a media and material event.