Three things to tighten up today (originally published 11/30/2015)

Thanksgiving has just past and many of us are in the process of pulling out memories in the form of Christmas decorations.

It doesn’t matter if you are celebrating Hanukkah or some other holiday other than Jesus birthday which is no where near December 25th….the process this month is the same:

We go to storage closets, sheds, garages, hallway shelves, the backs of clothing closets and pull out old stuff

We then hang-display-cry-reminisce-dream over said “old stuff” as if it has some mystical powers or something while we arrange-hang-display-sing about the holidays and what they “really mean”

We wax nostalgic or end-run future depending on our memories of the whole “season” thing

It repeats itself a thousand times over in a thousand different ways in a thousand different situations – cutting across all barriers of status

I love Christmas – don’t get me wrong – the whole thing. I love the process of decorating and designing a space to make it all sugar and spice and everything nice. all the while singing to everything from Frosty the Snowman to Away in a Manger, but even I can get swept away by the demons nostalgia coming from the boxes of old stuff….

A few years ago I hired someone to pull out absolutely every holiday decoration in the dead of summer and we donated at least 1/3 of it to charity. It was one of the most cleansing things I have ever done. It’s now a time honored tradition. Trust me, those memories look a lot less holly-jolly in 98 degree sunshine in the middle of your back yard on a blue tarp from Osh.

Back to the point this Monday morning. I want your Holiday Season to be everything you want. Everything.

Three things my heart is tugging for us to tie up this month so we can actually enjoy what the holiday season means to each of us as individuals, and as part of our larger communities, families and friend circles.

1. You are enough. Beginning and end of discussion. You ARE enough. Nothing you will buy, make, do, or entertain – will ever make you more valuable than you are right now at this very minute. Even if your life and closets and Christmas-Hanukkah-Holiday decorations are a mismatched mess – you are enough. If same life, closets and decorations are all tied up and gorgeous – you are still enough, because you R, not because they are all tied up and pretty like.
2. Stop performing through consumption & creation. I get it, trust me. I like nice things – to consume and create, I really do. I have an affinity for luxury and my day job is literally to make-create beautiful spaces and things – but this morning, before I woke – God dropped something in my heart that went *thump*. It has something to do with: creating & consuming to be (I can barely say it) liked. Ouch. Sword in the side kind of ouch. I hear Jesus was dead when the soldier put the sword in his side = hence no pain. Me? Not so much dead yet :). Did you hear, there are people who might not like us? Move on. There are people who are jealous. Move on. There are people who want you to perform for them, move on. BE YOU. Be kind, be thoughtful, but be you. We’ll develop that in days-weeks-months to come — this message has already been sent ahead to team — hold me accountable on this one – it’s a doozy. Ask yourself: “Is there anything I am doing in the hopes that someone-thing-group will like-love me more? And if so, what am I NOT DOING that I should be doing instead?” See #1.
3. Start showing up with your real on. I know, people say this all the time. Be real, be you, love yourself. I am not trying to beat a dead horse this morning, it just won’t leave my heart – this be real thing. (#forsomeone not just me) When we bring our real, it opens the doors for other people to be real with us. I’m not talking about wearing your proverbial underwear outside of your clothes, I mean, we do need to “steward” some things in public, however, in the quiet of our moments alone – are we getting our real on. See #2 & #1.

Shall we settle these things this month? Tie them up so to speak?

Since I’m on my second cup of coffee and my team is all set for January, the “I have an idea” kicked in a few words ago — what say you we do a daily “Enough” for the month of December. Let’s get the whisper in our ears daily.

Super simple. I will share a nugget – daily type — of enough. What, who, why God says you are enough. You don’t have to believe to read. It could bless just because…..I think we’ll just call it 31 Days of Enough. On the blog, here.

I am ready to be ready to be. Enough.

xo – A