The holidays are always a challenging time of year to keep our
emotions in check and a maintain a level head. There is this pressure to
demonstrate absolute joy, gratefulness, and excitement for a period of 38 days
straight -- otherwise known as the period from Thanksgiving to New Years.
Ironically, for many, this pressure to be happy actually brings out the
suppressed emotions of sadness or worry is more often set aside throughout the
year as we able to focus that energy on all the other activities happening in
our life. But the holidays are a special time of year -- they bring everything to the forefront.
I, like many of
you, have a love/hate relationship with the holidays. I do, truly, love making
the time to take a step back and recognize the blessings in my life.
There is much to be grateful for as I have good health, a roof over my
head, and am lucky to call many magnificent people my family and friends.
However, earlier this week I was having some challenges with work -- a
lot of "Do this, don't do that. He's an idiot. Go tell that
person to 'Pound Sand'." I mean, typical real estate talk for this
economy, but I became overwhelmed by the negativity... and then listening to
Christmas music during my rides home from the office actually caused me to sink
deeper into that dark place. I was in a rut (!) and didn't see, or have
any interest in finding, a way out. Then a friend of mine quoted a
YouTube video in an attempt to cheer me up and one night, after having run out
of TiVo recordings, I reached for my phone and clicked on this character that
had provided such a humorous moment of inspiration to my friend. His name
was Marcel. Marcel the Shell.
Marcel is a literally
a shell, with shoes and one eye, and he has this charming personality that
is a blend of fun loving, sincere, and insightful. He leads a simple life with his
"breadroom" and "reading receipts to get a taste for real
life" -- and he also says things like "Ask me why I smile a lot --
cuz it's worth it". And you know
what? This little shell launched me out
of my 'rut' and had me laughing hysterically while also compelling me to look
inward at the simple joys in my life that I often overlook. The simple joy of being single and able to
dance to 80's music with my girlfriends on a Tuesday night. The simple joy of waking up in the morning to
walk and watch the sun peering over the harbor with the waves crashing around
the corner. The simple joy of telling my
friend that 14 lip glosses are way too many for one purse to handle.
Who is the Marcel in your life?
The person that reminds you to not sweat the small stuff, to laugh more
than you cry, and to smile a lot...because it's worth it!
No comments:
Post a Comment