Happy Holidays and Guest Announcement

I'll keep this short and sweet, because I'm up to my armpits in all sorts of holiday goodness. I'm one of the lucky ones who gets to open their presents on Christmas Eve, instead of Christmas Day - which I love, but which also means I have less time to get ready. Eep!

In light of recent events, I'd like to give out a special holiday wish to everyone today.

Here it is: take care of yourself. Listen to your body. Get out from that computer-trance crouch you're stuck in and give a good stretch. Have a loved one give you a back massage. Stop worrying about whether you got so and so the perfect gift. Take a moment to appreciate all that your life has to offer, even the little things that don't seem to matter. Like pretty frost patterns drawn across a window, warm sunlight on a cold morning, or the smell of your favorite hot beverage. It's so easy to get caught up in your job or your responsibilities or your to-do list and forget what it really is that keeps you going, that gets you up and out of bed every morning. Everyone says "focus on what's important in your life," but have you ever really tried to do it? How much time today did you spend reading about the depressing state of the economy, or playing computer Solitaire, or flipping through television stations because you can't be bothered to do anything else? If those things truly bring you joy, then by all means, enjoy them. But if something isn't right with the focus of your life, take care of it. Your body will thank you for it.

Okay, that's enough rant for one day. If you're interested in reading an interview with Jacquelyn Sylvan, author of Surviving Serendipity, take a break from playing with your new toys or cursing the unforgiving American work ethic and drop in to Community Fridays.