Let nature lead the way

Make this holiday about presence, not pressure.

The holiday season is upon us again. For some, the pursuit of readying the home for guests, stocking the pantry and making decorations never fails to excite; but for others, it’s a time of complex and often difficult emotions. A few of us mourn the loss of the rituals and dignity of worship, trampled to dust in the commercial stampede.

Perhaps holiday season this year can be a time for treating ourselves gently, and not striving too hard for that elusive, mythic perfection?

Those who love Christmas with all the trimmings yet fall prey to exhaustion in the determination to get it all done: cut yourself some slack. It’s the quality of conversation, not the quantity of presents or intricacy of cuisine, that ultimately counts. Those who dread this time of year, hold fast to the things that make your soul sing.

Let nature take the strain. Bracing winter walks are the antidote to holiday excess, and a reminder of what’s really important. A dip or a surf in the ocean on a hot (or cold) day can help wash away holiday blues, and bring you back to that elemental sense of self as part of nature and the vast cosmos. Getting outside can help you ‘get outside’ of yourself.

However you spend this time, release yourself from the pressure and get outside.

From all of us at Koala Eco, have a wonderful and joyful holiday season.