One of the reasons why I’m waiting for Christmas is that I can sleep in, take it easy and be lazy, but it shouldn’t go that way. We should always have a chance to chill out. It shouldn’t be just a ’Christmas thing’.
Christmas is not about getting assignments, shopping or cleanups done before it. Christmas is time to look back the year of 2009, spend time with people close to and celebrate Jesus.
I want to encourage you to think about the year of 2009. Did you achieve what you wanted? Have you been too stressed because of your goals? Have you had enough freetime and time for your loved ones? What could you do different next year to achieve your goals or to relief your stress?
It is important to remember that life is not about doing things, being busy and looking good, even though sometimes it might look like it. I simply can’t understand our society where doing matters more than who you are and where people even tend to define themselves just by doings.
It seriously doesn’t matter, if some of the assignments didn’t go well this year, if there wasn’t enough time for all of the important meetings, sport or healthy eating. Life is about living to the fullest every day. It is about having time for our neighbours as well as for ourselves.
It is necessary to put values to the right order so that the busy life stays in control. I’m sure that it’s not trendy to be burnt out so watch out yourself! Your loved ones wouldn’t want that either.
Besides, you might feel yourself happier and more satisfied with the results if you do less than earlier. So concentrate on the essential things and leave the rest. Hopefully next year we could compete in loving instead of doing if we have to compete at all.
This Christmas, maybe the best gift you could give for your loved one and yourself is a gift of caring wrapped in the form of listening and freetime. Next year you could probably spend more time with your loved ones and yourself and less time with your books.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year 2010.
Marja Pietiläinen
The writer is a member of JYY’s board of executives.