By: Sarah Grace Powers – Confluence Daily is your daily news source for women in the know.
For years I dreaded the winter holidays almost as much as I anticipated them. From my mid-twenties to my mid-forties my life was consumed by my retail business, Moonrise Herbs (an herb shop that was also a metaphysical book/gift store).
In the retail biz, preparations for this time of year begin, literally, in spring or early summer.
I needed to be sure my store was stocked with just the right unique and distinctive gifts that would appeal to my customers that particular year. I needed to hire the right people to fortify the regular staff in serving these people that supported us.
We had fun of course. We decorated each year during Thanksgiving week, turning the store into a “Winter Wonderland.”
We held a Holiday Extravaganza Open House in early December and we all baked our favorite holiday treats, made herbal dips and crackers, brewed up spicy teas and ciders for everyone’s tasting delight.
And, on the home front there was crafting, cookie-baking, shopping, attending school pageants, and more decorating.
Often by the time we reached Christmas Eve (which was almost always the very busiest day of the year in my store – amazing how many last minute gift shoppers there are out there!), I was completely, utterly exhausted.
The Holiday Season is Challenging for SO many reasons!
Many people feel melancholy and depressed, others are hit with renewed waves of grief for loved ones who have passed.
It’s common to feel like we just aren’t measuring up to all the expectations put out by our culture. Some of us find ourselves ruminating on regrets and painful memories from the past during this season that is traditionally spent with family members.
One year at Moonrise Herbs we made beautiful little signs with inspirational quotes and sayings. We posted them around the store, on the edges of shelves, to help our busy, shopping customers to take a breath and relax, even if just for a moment.
My favorite inspirational saying – I don’t even know where it came from or who to attribute it to – was this one:
You Have Enough.
You Do Enough.
You Are Enough.
So, take a breath. And then another. Get present in your body. There may be more cookies to bake, more events to attend, cooking, shopping and packing to do…. but here in this moment know You. Are. Enough.
You are absolutely perfect, beautiful and whole just the way you are.
Happy Holidays.
Sarah Grace Powers is a certified life coach and EFT Practitioner. She is a ‘dream resuscitator’, helping clients rediscover their passions and reinvent themselves no matter what their age or circumstance. In her previous career she owned and operated an herb shop and has practiced holistic living for over three decades. Find her at sarahgracecoach.com
