Offer Yourself.
I actually do feel happier after doing more for others during the holidays this year. I won't lie and tell you it was mainly out of the goodness of my heart. It happened because I got a very costly ticket (on all fronts) in the summer driving through Virginia to Duck, NC that required a lawyer ($$$) to represent me (in VA where I was not going to appear), a very expensive ticket to pay, hours in an online safe driving course and 24 hours of community service. So, I happily offered my hours to my favorite non-profit, We Are Family DC. (If you must know, I was driving 91 in a 70 zone on the highway mid-day with no one else except the cop.)
I made hours of calls to seniors leading up to Christmas and donated my entire Christmas day organizing volunteers and then delivering gifts to seniors. It was an amazing day! My legs and back were sore and achy but my heart was full. I got many hugs and saw so many happy people in awe of the Christmas spirit. Total wow!
Previous to doing this, I felt a little out of sorts and knew that giving back was my way back to Me. So I now believe the ticket was a blessing in disguise.
{By the way, We Are Family DC are always looking for volunteers. There are weekly grocery deliveries and general senior visits that are happening all of the time.}
Maybe you need a place to offer a bit of you to help your own pain and suffering. Consider ways to share your time to someone in need.
Ok, a little bit of a pivot here, seeing as this is New Year's Eve, I wanted to share with you a few things that I enjoyed this year:
Float! Call me a floater because I love how my body feels after floating in magnesium sulfate and epsom salts for an hour. I go to Soulex right near the convention center. Try it!
Pilates! I love Pilates. I love how I feel when I do it consistently. My spine is even taller! I love ToolBoxDCand District Pilates. I've been to some Solidcore classes as well. But the straight up classical reformer classes are the best for a long-term practice.
Juicing!I've tried juicing many different times in my life but I didn't fully commit. And this year I found the best way for me to juice is with cucumbers and lemons. I use this juicer.
Music! Cardi B's album, "Invasion of Privacy" & Tracey Thorn's, "Record" & Kimbra's, "Primal Heart".
Books!I loved Seth Godin's book called, "This is Marketing" & James Baldwin's, "Notes of a Native Son".
Movies! I loved "First Reformed" and nothing else seemed as significant to me because of the real ideas and feelings behind it.
TV Shows!
Bojack Horseman& Black Mirror & Maniac. I like the dark stuff, I guess!
Podcasts!
I'm weak in this area but I still like, How I Build This! I often listen to the talks from Marianne Williamson&Caroline Myss.
Share the ones you like! Happy New Year!
See you on the other side!