Home for the Holidays...

This day deserves a little extra attention. In fact, most of my days over the past week or so have been deserving of more than they received. I'm a strong believer in giving credit where credit is due. But when the days pass quicker than a freight train on an icy track, I have no choice but to give them their credit by simply closing my eyes and enjoying each moment as if it were my last. Today, however, I thought it would be appropriate that I check-in. It's time to get these thoughts out of my head and throw them into an unknown world of appreciation and sometimes even judgment. Appreciation is something I hold close to my heart, and judgment is left without much acknowledgment. If you were to step into my world right now, you would find that peace has taken over. I find myself to be at the peak of my happiness when peace arrives, and even more so when it decides to stick around for awhile. Call me boring if you'd like. But before you do, accept the invitation into my mind, into my life. My mind is an organized mess of emotions and thoughts that get sorted through on most days. On the days that they are not properly arranged, I find my mood to be lackluster. And in every effort to avoid this nonconstructive attitude, I make sure that my mind has me on track to be my happiest me. Happiness starts in the mind and from there it can become whatever you make it. 

I look around and smile as I sit here in this cozy home where I was raised. A soft blanket covers my lap and an over-sized sweater hangs on my shoulders. To my left sits quite possibly the perfect Christmas tree and behind me is a wall of windows that showcases a peaceful winter morning scene. A clock ticks for every second that passes and I hear my egg nog coffee being brewed in the kitchen. My nose is filled with the scents of Christmas; coffee, cinnamon, evergreen, and that warm smell that fills the house after days of baking. I have taken several mental pictures of my surroundings and plan to store them safely in my mind. I often wish I would have done this for every Christmas in my past. Each year would show a distinct chapter of my life. Each photo would depict different versions of myself and there would be signs of both growth and retreat. Some photos would be viewed with pride, while others would get shoved to the bottom of the pile to be viewed later on. Some photos would allow me to revisit those years in my past when Christmas was full of tradition and Santa still existed. Other photos would bring me to more recent years where my own traditions were beginning to form. Some photos would most likely deserve a good laugh, and others would be acknowledged as a learning experience. One thing is for sure; flipping through these photos would submerge me in peace and happiness. There would not be a shortage of love in these photos and the amount of my own love for those around me would be evident. 

I have a feeling my photo from this year will be slightly different from those in the past. I have a feeling this photo will be put in a frame and hung on the wall, exactly where it deserves to be.