Cherish The Moment In Real Life
Take Time Out To Be Present
The holidays are a time to be around your loved ones, and to be grateful. We are now in the thick of the holiday season, and it’s so many things going on. You have holiday parties, last-minute deadlines, busy schedules, gifts to purchase, planning for next year, and so much more. It can be so easy to get caught in the hustle and bustle of the holiday, that you forget to actually be present within the holiday. The holiday season lasts about two out of twelve months. I know it can seem overwhelming and long when you’re in it, but the truth is the holiday season is less than 60 days. That’s not even half of the year. Although gratefulness and loving on your loved ones is something you should do year-round, it’s essential to do it during this time. Yesterday, I was looking through some photos from Thanksgiving, and I had this Epiphany. During Thanksgiving, I had been moved for a couple weeks, and I was initially excited to go home. I had an early flight, and was extremely tired. I also was on my cycle, so my irritability was through the roof. Being in a house filled with my family, started off great, but eventually every thing and body got on my nerves.
Before I went home, my grandmother and I planned to cook some of the Thanksgiving dinner together. She had been wanting to teach me some of her recipes, and just spend time. I was really excited to do it initially, but once the time came, my tiredness took over. I didn’t feel like helping my grandma, but she forced me (in a loving way.) Looking back, I’m actually glad that she did. Another thing that kind of worked my nerves, was everyone asking me to run to the store to get things. If you know, you know. Did I feel like going to the grocery store twice, no. Did I feel like hearing my aunt scream my name, no. Did I feel like finding the remote for my cousin, no. My mom always tells me that memories are all that we have. When someone passes away, it’s not always the stuff we have, that helps us remember them. The most important thing we have when someone passes away, are the memories we make with them. We all know death is inevitable, so why not cherish our time on earth. “Cherish the moment,” it’s a saying that’s cliche and not really applied in real life.
Moving back home in 2020, taught me one thing for sure and that’s how to put family first. Crazy enough, I wasn’t as family oriented before moving back. I was always close with my family, but in my four years of being home, I built some of the strongest relationships with everybody. It’s so easy to take life for granted, and to not cherish the people while they’re here. While I was visiting for Thanksgiving, I felt myself not wanting to do stuff and being easily annoyed, (I’m naturally moody, but working on it.) The beauty is, I was able to take a moment to check myself in the moment and fix my attitude. That is truly growth. God blessed me with family who love and care about me, how dare I get annoyed by them wanting to spend quality time with me. If you’re like me, and find yourself in these situations, say a quick prayer, I promise it helps. I literally started thanking God, and my mood switched.
If you are still struggling with cherishing moments and being present, remove the distracts. Try putting your phone in another room, it always helps. I always tell myself, “Yes, your feelings are valid but, it could be worse.” I know people don’t like to say it could be worse, because it invalidates the feelings, but I see it as looking at the cup as half full. Many people wish they had family to be with for the holidays. If you’re lucky enough to spend quality time with them, don’t ruin it with negativity. Don’t let the busyness of the day to day, take you from loving on the special people in your life. I promise, you won’t regret putting the phone down and being present this season. Happy December!
I’m also doing Vlogmas over on Youtube, where I post a video every day until Christmas, if you’re interested make sure you subscribe!
