Holiday Presence :: Wrap Up

Here...grab a lemon bar (or two...it's still officially the holiday season, so these calories totally don't count...)

I had intended to extend Project Holiday Presence until the New Year, but honestly? I have the feeling that I am done. I think that the project did what it intended to do, or maybe I did what I set out to do. During the weeks of Holiday Presence I noticed a lot of things:

• I was better able to slow down and really enjoy the holiday. I was actually seeking out the things that make me happy, and documenting them as almost not to forget, well that and I had made the commitment to do so here on the blog...
  
• Out of all the collections and fun that I have in my life, I find that I enjoy the lights of the season the most. I seek out lights when I'm driving, and look forward to things being lit up and decorated, and I can stare at lights for hours (I do the same things when plunked down in front of a fire.)
• I also noticed that I really wanted to watch old holiday movies. I wanted to watch all the classics and I'm disappointed to say that I actually don't own a lot of the classics, and I wasn't able to catch them on television either...so, I am making a commitment to remedying that.
• While taking the time to actually relax and enjoy the season, I fell behind on the things that I normally have undercontrol. Those things that I usually have done or bought, just weren't. They did find themselves either bought or let go of before each holiday...and not just in time or at the last minute, but in time. Things got done in time, wrapped in time, baked in time, bought in time, sent in time, and everything else? Well, everything else just didn't matter this year.
• The best part of the project came in the millions of tiny minutes when I found myself getting ready to go somewhere and participate in something...or when I found myself overwhelmed when being somewhere. I was able to remember this point of this project and take the time to remember to enjoy myself, to calm down and be present with everyone. I found my celebrations this year even more fun and satisfying. It's not been that in the past that this time of year has been lacking, but I think that maybe I have been lacking...or maybe my vision has been clouded with other things. But, through this little project, I was able to clear away some of the cobwebs I put up as walls, and get a bit clearer and truly enjoy many tiny moments. Those tiny moments added up and made some really wonderful big moment.
  

I am now wondering how long I can carry this through my life, and where else I can put in it practice? I'm thinking that there are other people out there than know how to do this better...how to practice being fully present more often than I. know that I'm not able to be fully present all the time, but I want to be more present more often. And I'm thinking that this may take a lot of reminders and a lot of practice, and that's OK with me.

Thank you all for playing along with me and checking in...