Springtime, and the major holidays that come with it, are about renewal and regeneration. That being said, the opportunity for healing in families is ever-present when you go home for the holidays. Passover and Easter set the perfect stage for new opportunities to relate, connect, re-define roles and heal. While you cannot change past history, you can create a better future history.
Traveling to see family, perhaps new places or old memories is what holidays are all about. The traditions may differ, yet the basic emphasis of connecting with loved ones is a shared value for us all. One definition of being a human being is the essential need for belonging. No matter how you get there, by car, bus, train, plane or Skype; you find a way. You make your way to those who are important to you, who you need to see, hear, touch and feel. You find them and they find you.
It’s funny that with certain times, holidays and personal transitions your expectations may signal less than happy holiday visits. You optimize your best intentions (or not) and often decide in advance how the holiday visit will go. Alternatively, it’s not so funny when you expect the best or idealize a less than ideal reality, and what you get is anything but ideal. The best option is, of course, when positive expectations are met with favorable real-life scenarios.
A good rule of thumb is to make the best of where you are, because that’s where you are… no matter what. Since you have little control over who you are related to and how others behave, you must do something differently. You must adapt to create a better experience, alter your attitudes and reactions, and try for a better outcome. When you learn to adapt well, you develop coping skills. When you take yourself out of the equation, you suffer less, and observe others more. When you take care of yourself and do what you need to, your holiday visit can be softer and less prickly.
By embracing the right attitude and sprinkling in some understanding and humor, you invite positive change and transformation for you and the ones you deal with. There’s a psychological maturing process that takes place, just before you let go of expectations and challenging stories from the past. You choose to grow your own perspective and release others’ reactions, to run their own course alongside yours and see them as separate animals from you running in the pen of life. By releasing your old pain or not expecting new pain, you are free. When you are free, you feel peace.
Let this holiday season converge with the transformational changes of the season. Like the changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace, take a step toward a new place, new stance and new perspective. Your internal focus can accompany what nature and tradition are inviting you to do. Like gravity, you are constantly being pulled in a direction. All you have to do is allow for the momentum around and within you, and notice how natural it really is to change. Be wise, fellow travelers, and follow the right path, the one that gives you the best chance for shared peace. Enjoy what and who you can while you are here, holidays and all. Remember to travel a little inwardly as you reach outwardly while you are visiting your loved ones today and every day. Live Inspired!® Nina~ www.LiveInspiredwithNina.com