”We can never run out of love. It’s in the air we are breathing.”

For most of us Christmas is a time of fellowship, joy and happiness. It’s a time when family get-togethers are more frequent, gifts and laughter are shared among loved ones, and eating a bit too much is part of the festivity. However, for a growing number of people the situation is completely different. 

”It’s Christmas time, there’s no need to be afraid. At Christmas time we let in light and we banish shade.”

– Do they know it’s Christmas, Band Aid -84

The number of people, who live in poverty, suffer from addiction or loneliness, are increasing world-wide. A problem we simply cannot ignore, since its transparency in our society is getting more and more evident. The question remains – what can we do about it? How should, and can we address these problems? The answers might vary, of course, but I believe that each and every one of us have a responsibility – and that first tiny step you need to take is to start with yourself. Is there anything you can do, right now, to make another person’s life a little more pleasant? And what can you do to make your own life a little more liveable?

I read somewhere (can’t remember where) that besides every country having their own flag, human beings should have a combined earth flag, since, we’re all in this together.

If you have the means to help people less fortunate, use them. Use them, to their advantage. How small of a task it might seem to you, it might end up being a tremendous support for a person in need.

Self-love

”By giving others a helping hand, you’re helping yourself. And by healing yourself, you’re healing others.”

Everything in life is connected. You, me, the trees, the stars, our thoughts, our actions, life-death-life; the circle of life wouldn’t be complete without any of it. We need the darkness, in order to experience the light. We need the hardships, to truly be thankful for the security. Yin and yang. The Sun, and the Moon. The summer, and the winter. We need all of it.

One way to begin is to start by giving more than what you expect in return. Give, without expecting anything in return. Just give, out of pure sincerity, out of pure love.

It all starts with you. You start by giving to yourself – you take care of yourself, you take care of your ”home”, your inner sanctuary. You feed and nurture yourself, daily, with love and care. You know that you’re worthy of being here, of having a voice. When you start to see your own beauty, when you stop judging yourself, that is when you start to see the beauty within others, without judging them.

It might feel difficult at first, but still – face your shit. Face your demons, face your pain. If I’ve ever said something hurtful to another person (yet, I don’t think of myself as a person walking around spreading pain, but still I’m human, we all have our days…) it has usually stemmed from me not facing my own share of discomfort, and therefore, lashing out at an innocent human. This is normal, this is part of being human. However, being in pain doesn’t give you the right to treat others in a dreadful manner. Thus, the importance of always glancing within.

Choose love over fear

”The outside distress is a reflection of the distress happening within.”

This vast universe is our playground. How do you wish to perform, to show up? Do you wish to live with fear and doubt, or with love and openness? Your choice. There are plenty of misery in this world, you just have to put on the news or take a few steps down your street, depending on where you live on this planet, to recognize that it’s not all sunshine and butterflies. Nevertheless, there are also plenty of hopefulness, plenty of love, but somehow those things don’t attract the news producers that often.

We need to aim at these difficulties from the right angle.

You can’t fight the fear, by being fearful. You can’t fight the darkness, by feeding it more darkness. You can’t fight ignorance, by being more ignorant. You can’t fight the wars of this planet, by producing more wars. You just can’t.

As I already mentioned, we need to start with ourselves. Don’t you dare blame anyone else if you haven’t taken a good look at yourself in the mirror. Just don’t. And by this I don’t mean that you need to be so hard on yourself; just embrace who you are – the good and the bad. None of us is perfect, and none of us will ever be perfect.

But, when we begin to open ourselves up to the different ways of experiencing life – by being more humble, receiving new insights and by being less judgmental – I truly believe we can start to create a little more peaceful home, for all of us. The outside distress is a reflection of the distress happening within, and vice versa. Remember, it’s all connected.

However, slowly but surely we can try to change the outside world. It all stems from within. You fight the fear by being more loving. You fight the darkness, by being the light. You fight the ignorance, by practising your inner wisdom. You fight the wars, by being at peace. Within.

Self-care December might start with you, but wait and see, it might have a forceful impact on the world around you as well.

Let it spread like wildfire.

❤

Linda