Dave Johnson, PhD, CNS, BC, LMFT, employee assistance specialist, Parkview Health, invites us to slow down this holiday season and tune into the magical moments made possible through mindfulness.
Each holiday, we're at different points in our life. And I think what I'm learning as I age, is that everything has a life cycle. And we can correlate this to the Christmas tree.
With a live tree, we stop and smell it. We can cultivate the endless gifts of nature inside our homes. And it's a beautiful thing. And then it begins to lose its needles and its color. It starts to lose its branches. It becomes messy, and it starts to die, reminding us that the Christmas tree needs to come down.
When the tree's been up long enough, we can learn enoughness, and so it is with impermanence and within our lives. We see the cycle. It's not a time of sadness. It's just a time of transition – of noticing that changes in the cycle of life are taking place.
Observing these transitions remind us of those who have gone before us, and the journey we’re all on.
Want more with Dr. Dave?
Mindfulness and the Christmas tree: Generational gifts
Mindfulness and the Christmas tree: Childlike wonder
Mindfulness and the Christmas tree: A moment of awe
Bringing mindfulness into your home
