Winter vacation is almost upon us. Many colleges have already finished final exams, and high schools are similarly ready, along with their K-8 counterparts, to release the kids to parental oversight after completing school celebrations, performances, and other end-of-semester rituals. Martha Graham, an American modern dancer and choreographer, once said, "Make the moment vital and worth living; do not let it slip away unnoticed and unused." Might you decide to take Graham's advice by using this window of time as an opportunity to create lasting memories for yourself, your family and friends, or even people you've never even met?
If you are lucky enough to have family and close friends with whom to share the time, what can you do that would really let them know how much you appreciate them, and that they are important to you? Are you up to playing your own version of "Secret Friend" and planning a few surprises? It needn't be anything that costs money, or maybe it would. That's up to you!
- Type notes (to hide your handwriting) and slide them under a doorway or leave them where the receiver is sure to find them; make sure you tell each person what you admire about them and how they make a difference to others.
- Do a chore for each person: make a bed; clean the kitchen; sweep snow off the sidewalk; feed the pet; take out the garbage; do the laundry.
- Write a poem dedicated to someone.
- Make a photo album of their year.
What about those with whom you work?
- Leave a note on the desks of those who have really been of help to you. Make sure to mention exactly what they did, how it made you feel, and tell them how it changed your day or attitude.
- Write a note to a colleague's boss telling the boss about something your colleague did that went "beyond the call of duty."
And how about those people you don't even know, but just happen to be in the right place at the right time?
- Compliment someone.
- Smile at five different people as you're walking past them.
- Ask someone in an elevator, "Are you having a nice day today?"
- Hold the door open for others and, with a big smile on your face, say, "Have a nice day!"
And, finally, don't forget about taking care of yourself. The habit of self-care and making sure our own needs are addressed is a gift that keeps on giving; nourishing ourselves allows us to maintain a healthy body and outlook so we can offer our best to the people and things around us.
- Give yourself 30 minutes each day to sit quietly and reflect on the beauty in your life.
- Go for a walk in nature.
- Listen to music that soothes your soul, or makes you so happy that you want to jump up and dance.
- Soak in a hot tub.
- Read a book.
None of these ideas cost oodles of money, but each, in their own way, could be special enough to make an imprint on the heart of someone else, and yourself. Be the person who takes Martha Graham's message to heart. Don't let your break from routine be... routine. Surround your self, and others, with the blessings, and memories, that will bring more smiles to our world.
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