Tis the Season

Have you ever stopped and really thought about the Christmas songs that we sing? They all seem to bring the thought that Christmas time is the time for us to finally be nice, and happy, and loving towards one another.

Anyone else think that’s a total crock of shit?

I mean, c’mon…only ONE time of year we try to bring out the best in ourselves? That’s almost like saying that you’re a faithful religious believer when you only do something about one day a week!

I remember when I was in college I wrote a fictional paper about Santa Claus. I can’t even begin to give you the details, but the thought was this…

Santa Claus is not so much a person as a feeling that we all have the capability to have. It’s not something that should be relegated to a portion of one month of the year, but rather, shared with everyone every day of every year.

So tell me…do YOU try to be a little bit nicer during the Christmas season? Maybe still working to make that nice list and not the naughty one? :-)

Now, I don’t have anything against Christmas, exactly. But I think there’s something here that we’ve all lost focus on. We teach our kids to be nicer during the Christmas season, instead of being nicer all through the year. We tell them that if they’re “good” then they’ll get more stuff under the tree. Hey…sounds like bribery to me!

What would happen if we took the Christmas holiday away? Would we have to find SOMETHING to replace it with, just to keep that miniscule spirit alive? Why? Why does it take a fat guy in a red fur coat to make us be a bit nicer and happier in life?

Bottom line…IT SHOULDN’T.

If you’re religious, Christmas isn’t about stuff or elves or Santa, it’s about a baby that was born to save Mankind’s Spirit. If you know the holiday’s history, you know that it’s about drawing together as a community to take care of each other and RENEW commitments and help one another.

If you’re not either of those things…listen up! :-)

You’ll hear a lot about Christmas Spirit. When we’re all supposed to love a little more, and laugh a little more, and help a little more. But the Christmas Spirit isn’t something that stops on December 25th. It’s a constant thing that is ALWAYS present in everyone’s heart. Don’t wait for some store to tell you to take it out and use it. Don’t wait to be guilted into the Spirit because you haven’t done anything with it for a whole year. Make it a part of your daily life.

Be Santa for someone every day of the year. Love a little more each day. Help a little more whenever you get the chance. Make every month and every day Christmas for you and someone else.

Watch the difference that starts to happen in your life. Your Spirit will start to rise above the normal shit that life brings. You’ll be happier, every day. Your little slice of the world will become a more loving and brighter place. And you just might actually see reindeer fly. :-)

So, let me leave you with quotes from my two favorite Christmas stories.

“And the Grinch’s small heart grew THREE times that day!”

“And I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight…

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night.”

Dichotomy of Humanity

“And all
Of my Demons
Would see this
And run!”
– “Last Chance Dreams” - Dirty Shannon

Remember those old cartoons? You know, the ones where the character has the little angel and little devil on either shoulder. Sometimes they would end up arguing, and maybe even getting into a fight themselves. I don’t think that’s very far off from the truth though. We all have those inner battles that we fight. It’s a constant struggle between good and evil, right and wrong, light and darkness. And sadly, it’s battles that aren’t always won by good.

Every single day we face another battle. Do you keep the extra cash that the cashier gave you by mistake? Do you let anger, fear, or hate cloud your judgment or opinion of something? Do you take out a bad day at work on those waiting for you at home?

Millions of choices every day come down to this simple inner struggle. So how do you deal with it? Is this a struggle that overwhelms you or do you know how to surf this particular wave? Chances are, most of us are simply trying to make it through this day and not fuck things up too badly. Not a very good way to live, don’t you think?

So how do we win this inner struggle? Or CAN we even win it?

There’s no magic wand, no special formula, no cure-all that I can give you to suddenly make you CHAMPION EXTREME. The simple truth is, you will fight this battle each and every day you draw breath on this planet. What you’ve got to figure out is how to win more of those battles than you lose. And believe me; you will lose some of the battles. But listen to me…that’s OK. You’re human, not perfect.

So, how DO you win a battle that never ends? How do you make it through each day winning more than you lose?

Well, the first thing you HAVE to remember…is that you have around you people that love you and care about you, regardless of what the day’s battle tally is. I think that this is the ONLY way you make it to tomorrow in one piece.

Once you forget this, then you find yourself alone and trying to deal with the battles by yourself. It’s then that you start to lose more often, until eventually, all you see is the little devil on your shoulder and his voice is the only one you can hear. Then you fight that last battle, and sadly, you’ve already lost.

You need to have a solid core, faith in yourself, and a belief that you are loved. These are the things that help you to win each battle.

Your core is your guide, your basic compass. It’s what leads you through every day, keeping you pointed towards the best you, you can be. In order to follow that core, you have to believe in yourself. You have to be able to trust your heart to make the right choices to keep you going on the right path. And without love, nothing ever seems to work right. No matter how dark your day gets, if you know that someone loves you, just for you, you can get through it. If only to go home and see that person smile with love when you walk through the door.

We all fight, some harder than others. Sometimes we might need a little help in our daily fights. That’s OK. Like I said, you’re human, not perfect. All you have to do is reach out a hand and help will be there. No matter who you are, where you are, or what you’re going through. Help will be there.

Now, smack that little red bastard off your shoulder and let’s go have some fun. :-)