Moderation
November 2021
It’s that time of year, when we come together for festivity and celebration. In just about a month, we will be welcoming the slow, steady return of sunlight. It may seem obvious, but it is important to honor the sun and to remember that we shouldn’t take life and our planet for granted. Yule season is an invitation to join in with the potential for rebirth and to acknowledge that the cycles of nature are central to our existence. Nature shows us what to do in winter. Slow down, get quiet, do less, and rest in the darkness. Most of us do the exact opposite during the holidays, then wonder why we succumb to a seasonal cold or don’t have energy for our resolutions.
Often, the joys of gathering together lead to overindulgence – too much food, heavy drinking, late nights, and massive piles of presents under the tree. It’s okay to go overboard now and then, to get wild and let it all hang out in the spirit of joy and revelry. If everything and everyone is a potential teacher, there are at least a couple of lessons to be found in going to extremes. So many of us struggle and fight with reality, because we feel out of control when everything isn’t as neat and tidy as we would like. Can you honor and accept the part of you that goes out of control? Do you see that control is an illusion anyway? And then, the opportunity arises to turn the judgments that usually follow a night (or week or month) of excess into fuel for your deepest desires. Remember how bad you felt after you ate the entire pie or had that last drink, not to beat yourself up, but as motivation to walk the middle path of consistency and moderation.