{"id":23644,"date":"2017-12-13T09:24:33","date_gmt":"2017-12-13T14:24:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/chescotimes.com\/?p=23644"},"modified":"2017-12-13T09:24:38","modified_gmt":"2017-12-13T14:24:38","slug":"dont-retire-refire-the-magic-of-the-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/?p=23644","title":{"rendered":"Don’t Retire, ReFire: The magic of the season"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Gail Supplee Tatum<\/strong>, Columnist, The Times<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Ah, to look at life through the eyes of a child, especially during this magical time of year.\u00a0 Well, you can!\u00a0 All you have to do is put yourself back to a time in your childhood where you were wide-eyed and filled with joy, wonder and excitement. Soon, you will have a grin from ear to ear and a skip in you step.<\/p>\n

Being the passionate person that I am, this is easy for me.\u00a0 Well, that and living through the joy, wonder and excitement of my three grandchildren.<\/p>\n

For some, this may be a difficult time of the year.\u00a0 Depression can rise during the holidays, if things aren\u2019t right, in your world, with a family member, friend or life, in general.\u00a0 Maybe you feel alone, like nobody cares. \u00a0It hurts my heart to even think and write this, but I know it exists.<\/p>\n

Whether you need encouragement or \u201cfood for thought\u201d, let me offer a few ideas for consideration, to lift your spirits.\u00a0 None of my ideas involve \u201cspirits\u201d!\u00a0 Actually, too much, or any alcohol consumption, in some cases, can negatively alter your mood, so think moderation at all times.<\/p>\n

What I suggest to you, I have practiced in my own life, whenever my mind drifts towards worriment or concern or when I just need a reality check.\u00a0 I continue these practices to this day.<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Count your blessings. Often times we dwell on our troubles and what we don\u2019t have, rather than focus on our blessing(s) and what we do have.\u00a0 I\u2019m sure I\u2019m not telling you anything you haven\u2019t already heard.\u00a0 Start with this simple exercise.\u00a0 Think of something that fills you with joy (a blessing) and smile big, from ear to ear. All it takes is one blessing, and it can be the tiniest of blessings.\u00a0 It truly can calm you down and warm your heart.<\/li>\n
  2. On the days when you don\u2019t have to leave the house and, because of that, you decide to stay your pajamas and not do anything for yourself, switch your thinking. You will discover more productivity in your day, if you take the time to groom yourself. \u00a0Just the act of washing your face, brushing your teeth, combing your hair and getting out of your pajamas will make you feel accomplished. \u00a0Don\u2019t stop there!\u00a0 While you\u2019re at home, with some uninterrupted time on your hands, take a moment or two to send a message, or two or more, to someone, or a few, who you want to express your appreciation to.\u00a0 Start with the person who \u201cyou keep meaning to reach out to\u201d.\u00a0 Once you do, first you\u2019ll wonder why you didn\u2019t do it sooner and then you will feel so great and so will the recipient(s)!<\/li>\n
  3. Be in the moment and savor all that it holds. There is so much to take in, not just during this holiday season but in life, with all that it has to offer.\u00a0 If you don\u2019t pay attention, you could miss an amazing moment or opportunity to make a difference in someone\u2019s life. \u00a0So, pay attention! When you give, what you get is beyond compare.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    So during this holiday season, slow down, take it all in, be kind and smile.\u00a0 A smile goes a long way.\u00a0 It could be the very expression that changes the recipient\u2019s frame of mind, who prior to that may have been down-hearted.\u00a0 Merge. Compromise. Insisting on being right isn\u2019t always the answer. Give someone a break. How much would you be giving up? \u00a0If you\u2019re looking down, whether it is at your phone or where you\u2019re walking\u2026STOP.\u00a0 Look up and see the magical world around you.<\/p>\n

    Have a Happy Holiday! Soak in the Magic and Believe! Consider adapting that childlike wonder all year long.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    By Gail Supplee Tatum, Columnist, The Times Ah, to look at life through the eyes of a child, especially during this magical time of year.\u00a0 Well, you can!\u00a0 All you have to do is put yourself back to a time in your childhood where you were wide-eyed and filled with joy, wonder and excitement. Soon, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":23646,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[6269,4917,1735],"class_list":["post-23644","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lifestyle","tag-featured","tag-holiday-season","tag-retirement"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23644","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=23644"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23644\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23645,"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23644\/revisions\/23645"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/23646"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=23644"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=23644"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=23644"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}