No need for ribbons, bows, and wrapping paper for the gift of your Authentic Soul.
As this year draws to a close, I feel like there’s so much to do because of the imminent holiday gatherings that are on the horizon. Buying presents, wrapping presents, giving presents, opening presents, disposing of the present wrappings… and yet… what to the presents really mean? There is no doubt that gifts are wonderful things to give others, and it brings us joy in offering them, but how often do these gifts reflect how much we reallycare about another person? Can our gifts say more than they do now? Can our gifts mean something more than a manufactured plastic item often distracts us from each other?
I’m challenging myself to offer a different type of present: my Presence.
Of course my daughter will receive many of the same toys that other 5-year-olds will receive on Christmas morning, but we’ll also be taking a long walk, keeping the television turned off, and cooking dinner together with our family. Those activities are not uncommon, but I want to take it a step further. I intend to really listen to what my friends and family are saying and ask them questions that go deeper than how their work is going or where they plan on vacationing over the summer. I intend to get to know them better. This is the type of gift we don’t give to others as often as we should, the gift of true participation in our loved ones’ lives.
I’m looking forward to giving them something that’s hopefully more memorable than the expected toy, shirt, or sporting goods item, and certainly something more cherished. It’s a gift that gives as much to me as it will to them.
Remember, shift happens!
Lisa
Read more posts by Lisa Haisha, world traveler and founder of the Soul Blazing Sanctuary. Lisa is a JenningsWire blogger.
JenningsWire.com is created by National Publicity Firm, Annie Jennings PR that specializes in providing book marketing strategies to self-published and traditionally published authors. Annie Jennings PR books authors, speakers and experts on major top city radio talk shows that broadcast to the heart of the market, on local, regionally syndicated and national TV shows and on influential online media and in prestigious print magazines and newspapers.
