Well, they actually start way back in the stress and busyness of the holiday season.
Here at Ananda, we catch our collective breath from Christmas only to immediately begin preparing to celebrate Yogananda’s birthday on January 5.
After which it’s time to pull together the music ministry’s report of what happened last year and plans for the new year for the annual Sangha Outreach Ministries presentations the third week of the month.
Come the end of January we’re shifting into high gear with rehearsals for our annual performance of Christ Lives: An Oratorio, plus Ramesha and I are booking tickets for our springtime trip to Switzerland to see his family.
I realize that by the time February arrives — with its full calendar of activities — I feel like I’ve been falling behind since October, with no hope of ever catching up.
And that’s why I’ve got those end-of-January blues… Oh yeah! 🎺🎶
The entire post (included below) by Rachel Macy Stafford is beautiful, but these last few lines really hit home for me…
Today is November 1st. Perhaps you’ve lived long enough to know what is likely to happen. The world is going to push you – no, body slam you – into the season, convincing you that you are behind before you have even begun. It is November 1, and you are not Already Behind. You are A Living Being. So, take a deep breath and savor each glorious bite of today.
Full disclosure, it brought me to tears.
Maybe because I’m already feeling totally behind on Christmas; on planning choir; on organizing the next Virtual Choir; on connecting with family and friends; on taking care of myself; and on and on and on it goes!
And, yeah, I know from past experience that this is just the start of crazy time.
But what I didn’t know — and what reading this post brought to my awareness — is just how much a part of me dreads the coming of crazy time.
Which is, well…crazy, because I want to be able to draw on the inspiration and grace that makes the holiday season so special and sacred, not be so harried and stressed that the blessings simply pass me by.
This timely post has given me some very important thoughts to ponder…
My daughter Avery asked me that question with a panic-stricken look upon her face.
She was six years old and about to dig into a giant sno-cone that we’d ridden our bikes a long way to enjoy.
But in order to enjoy it, Avery knew she needed to savor it. And the only thing stopping her from doing that was the pressure to hurry.
For the majority of Avery’s young life, I’d believed the lie—
• we are only as good as what we achieve • if it’s not on the to-do list, it holds no value • busy is a badge of honor • we simply don’t have time
It took me a moment to compose myself and respond to the earnest child staring up at me through her little pink glasses.
When I eventually found my voice, I said words I’d never uttered before.
“You don’t have to rush, baby—just take your time.”
My child had a visible reaction to these words. Her shoulders instantly relaxed and joyful relief spread across her face.
In that moment, something shifted inside me, and I recognized the truth:
• the best moments don’t happen in the when; they happen in the now • pausing for love is never wasted time • if we wait on the world to give us permission to stop – we never will • if we are too busy to live, what are we living for?
Today is November 1st. Perhaps you’ve lived long enough to know what is likely to happen. The world is going to push you – no, body slam you – into the season, convincing you that you are behind before you have even begun.
But now that you are aware of the lie, you can say to yourself, “You don’t have to rush, precious child.”
Life cannot be LIVED in a hurry. Oh, it can certainly be managed and endured that way, but you are here to LIVE your one, precious life.
It is November 1, and you are not Already Behind.
You are A Living Being.
So, take a deep breath and savor each glorious bite of today.
Because Ramesha and I are recording tomorrow! Just one song, which will be released in time for the holidays, but still…it won’t do to start out already tired.
