A Gift To Yourself
by Clare Woods

The count down to Christmas had started. My head would reel with all the planning, the gifts, shopping, baking, and decorating. It all must be perfect. I must do it all or at least that is what I told myself for years. The holiday has to be perfect. I must do everything in a grand and glorious way. All the stress, craziness and hard work. Just like my mother, I often left too much to the last minute. To start the process early was unheard of. For many years by the time December 25 rolled around I was, as my Mother before me, exhausted and a total martyr "look at all I did". That is all I knew.

As I moved through my healing process the year arrived where I came to the realization I DID NOT have to repeat my Mother's patterns. I could change the way I organized my holiday and my own action and choices. I questioned "could I ask for help, could I delegate responsibilities? What did I have time for? What did I want to do? What were the traditions that were most important to me and my family? This was a totally new concept. I could make choices. I could take care of me.

The first year I implemented this new plan I started slowly. It was difficult to give up the illusion of what I thought the holiday needed to be. Then several years into the plan my daughter on Christmas Day said "Mom you are so calm, you really seem to be enjoying everything". I knew I had accomplished something very important. I was taking care of me.

Allow this to be the year you choose to give yourself the gift of peace and tranquility through making new choices.

Happy Holidays!
Clare Woods, C.Ht.
Clarity Concepts
P.O. Box 484
Camillus, New York 13031
315-488-4179

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