As we approach the holiday season it seems timely to address the best gift you can give yourself.
Say what! Giving myself a gift!
We give other people gifts, we may tell other people what we want or need for a gift. What on earth could I give myself as a gift?
I’m not talking about something physical or even something that someone else can do to or for you.
Life is busy, noisy and hectic. When it comes to holiday time what are you craving? I mean really craving…
What is it you seek out when you are planning your holidays?
The solitude and quiet of a cabin in the woods.
The feeling of getting back to nature in the wilderness.
The simple life.
Connecting with nature and feeling alive in a waterfall.
A tropical island getaway.
Walking on a shelly beach.
Enjoying a swim in the pristine waters.
Snorkelling or diving on a coral reef.
Sitting in a hammock reading a book
Trekking in a rainforest or on a walking track.
Climbing a mountain.
Canoeing down a river.
Camping along the way.
Sightseeing in a capital city and being fully present in the moment.
Visiting an art gallery, museum, theatre or one of the ancient wonders.
Which one of these has the most appeal to you?
What do you feel they all have in common?
Because they do have something in common. It may not be obvious as they are all so different.
Let’s explore it a different way.
What is the most annoying thing you can think of to interrupt your focus, presence and enjoyment of any of these options especially the option you chose?
Unless you happen to live or work in any of these environments, they are all places we might choose to go on a break, getaway, vacation or holiday.
What is it that you seek on a holiday?
Perhaps it’s a break from what you normally do. Maybe it could be peace and tranquillity to just be.
The opportunity to reconnect with yourself, to de-stress yourself. To rest and reset.
A saying I remember from my childhood was:
A change is as good as a rest.
What are we resting from? What are we resetting from? Why do we need to rest and reset?
What is the Best Gift We Can Give Ourselves?
The need to rest, reset, revitalise and de-stress ourselves are all signs that our lives, as we currently live them, are not sustainable.
Are you listening to this sign? Have you noticed it before?
I’d like to tell you a story about my childhood.
As a family, we would take our caravan to the south of France for several weeks during the summer months.
My father always made it a priority for the family to have a long summer holiday.
Often he would take us down there and leave the family in the middle weeks so he could go back to work and then he would return to pick us up and drive the caravan back.
This was an epic trip. The trip would take in 2 overnight stops and more than 24 hours of driving each way.
One year, I remember my dad finishing up work early, arriving home mid-afternoon on a Friday and changing into his famous holiday clothes. This particular year he was super excited because he had organised to have 3 uninterrupted weeks with us, he wasn’t going to have to leave us there.
I remember him telling me the best bit was that no one from the office could contact him (this was decades before mobile phones were a thing).
I didn’t really understand it as a child, however, I could see how it made him feel. He felt free and relaxed knowing that no one could interfere.
As we drove out of Paris and headed down the A1 towards Nice we decided it was time for a rest stop. As we approached the turn off for the next rest stop we noticed an A-Frame board on the side of the road with my father’s name on it and the words URGENT – Call The Office!
Seriously! I remember we missed that stop. I think my father was not happy about that and felt that they could wait.
A couple of hours later we stopped and he did call the office from a French payphone. He handled the urgent situation and then calmly got back in the car to continue the journey.
I never forget that because I remember seeing how deflated he was that even on his holiday, they still tracked him down!
After that stop, we all dreaded seeing signs by the side of the road. Would it mean our holiday was being cut short or that Dad had to leave?
What is the point of me telling this story?
I don’t know about you, for me resting, resetting and de-stressing is all about time disconnected from: the news, the internet, phone calls, texts, social media.
It’s all about external input that we allow to interrupt us. If it truly is important and urgent, people can find a way to get in contact. Even if it may be an old school style interruption.
We have become de-sensitised to how we jump to the ding of our phones or the need to keep up with the news. The world will be just fine without us for a few hours, days or weeks!
Is there a clue in that about what we can give ourselves as the best gift?
Could the best gift be, to give yourself a digital detox? To have a news diet? To have a drawer you put your phones, tablets, remote controls and laptops in for a few hours, a day, a weekend or even a week so that you can just be.
Reset, revitalise yourself, reconnect, notice, find peace, honour yourself.
We don’t have to leave it till we have a big holiday, break or getaway. We can do this for a few hours today.
I believe it is vital for us to give ourselves gifts as well as others.
The Gift Is To the Giver and Comes Back Most To Him – It Cannot Fail ~ Walt Whitman
Until next time,
LIVE, LOVE, THRIVE & GIVE YOURSELF A GIFT.