Being Present in the Holidays

Santa baby, just slip a cabin in a cool alpine forest under the tree for me…

The holidays are upon us, and while there are definitely moments of excitement to look forward to (my 3 year old nephew is going to be so fun to watch!), for many of us it is a time of heightened anxiety too. Many of us are introverts, and even more so, many of us are still living in and out of lockdowns and the fear and uncertainty that a global pandemic brings. We have all suffered losses this last year, and they can feel raw during these times. The holiday season can be loud, brash, overwhelming and even claustrophobic. The rampant consumerism, garish throw away confetti of plastic ornaments and toys and concerns of their effect on the environment, the loud LOUD music in the shops (if you can even make it to them), expectations, disconnect and discomfort, it is…a lot.

Be sure to take plenty of opportunity to breathe deep and regather. I am reminding myself of this, even as I remind you. This is a perfect opportunity for the present that being present provides (oh English language and your tricksyness). For every interaction (a trip to the shops, or required encounters with family or colleagues that you find challenging) that makes you feel exhausted and overwrought, spend an equal amount of time under a tree, sharing energy (and even a tale or two) or somewhere where you can at least see natural environs out a window. Sit quietly with a cup of tea and bird song playing quietly in your ear buds. Write down everything you are grateful for, to be reminded of just how much you have (even when it feels meager at times). Come back to your heart centre, and wrap yourself in a deep hug of appreciation and contentment.

SIMPLE + SLOW

I personally think the most wonderful gift you can receive is the company of someone you truly enjoy spending time with, be they human or not. A simple shared meal and laughter is something to treasure.  After that, are home-made and heartfelt delights - baked goods, simple skin care dreams made with essential oils and crushed herbs, something hand sewn, knitted or crocheted, pressed leaves and flowers, and of course, artwork! Indeed, if you can shop small, procuring hand made wonders from artisans, you are valuing the magic of slow living and supporting artists and small businesses. Doing that makes community thrive. Your gift will be lovingly and carefully made, wrapped and posted to you with gratitude - so many positive emotions wrapped in a purchase. These are beautiful, unique, and genuine gifts of time and skill and magic.

Promised adventures and dates is another delight - we do this in my family, gifting a weekend getaway to and with each other is a multifaceted and multilayered gift with memory making attached. And books. Always books - even better if preloved. 

As I continue these trips around the sun, I find I am really wanting to simplify. To slow down, to reduce, to clarify and illuminate what matters most to me. To embody all the slow movements - slow living, slow creating, slow eating, slow growing. Simple and Slow. A big part of that is treading much more lightly on this Earth. I was so into Christmas once upon a time, though I admit, over the last decade or so the shine of the season has waned for me. I am on the verge of…Grinch. I think it is because it all feels to have gotten out of hand, commercialised, over the top, insincere. Just, LOUD. Not always, and not for everyone, no, but in general. Perhaps I have just gotten old! I also know, for myself at least, that I really have everything that I need, and much of what I want. I long for a time when a gift under the tree was something small but meaningful, something you would never have bought for yourself, or something that was out of your reach for other reasons, but which didn’t cause the giver or yourself to go into debt. I think I am concluding that Christmas is for children, and for me as an adult to just delight in their delight. I was reminiscing recently, and thought back to when I must have only been around 7, the only gift I remember and that I was utterly besotted with, was a pack of 5 or 6 brightly coloured plastic bangles. It is the little things. It is the belief in magic, the wonder of it all.

ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS

My friend Galia asked me what I would dream of for Christmas, specifically as an artist. I have been thinking hard, pondering with cups of tea, wistful gazes out into my yard, walking meditation, daydreams and thought exercises...what exactly, as an artist, would I like Santa to bring me this year? I keep coming back to the fact that I already have so much, I tend to want to give away rather than receive. How incredibly thankful I am. All this pondering, and all I can think of (I will be honest it is what I think about a LOT, holidays or not) is something that most definitely won't fit under the tree. But it does contain trees.

All I want for (our summer) solstice, is time alone in a deliciously rustic, comfortable, inspiring cabin in a cool, alpine forest. I will bring the art supplies, and between the two, magic will be made.

This has been an extremely busy year for me, personally and professionally, and I know that collectively we have had such an emotional, uncertain couple of years which we all feel viscerally. I don’t know about you, but I am so tired. So what I realllly want (and what we all need!) is rest, quiet, connection and rejuvenation.

For me, that is anywhere quiet and cool (Australian summer and I are not friends. I top out at 25 degrees C. I am a delicate flower that wilts in the heat!). Far enough away from towns or cities to feel remote (though not necessarily actually remote), large windows that can be opened to cool breezes and birdsong, closed for cosy nighttime fires; a comfy sitting chair for reading and sketching and imagining; a table for my traveling easel; a kettle and copious teas; a bath (spa bath for extra points). 

There are trees - lots of them - covered in mosses and lichens and fungi so small my nose almost touches them to get a good look. There is the sound of wind whispering through leaves way up high, the rustle of tiny padded feet bouncing or meandering through underbrush and leaf litter. It smells green and earthy and nourishing. My nose and cheeks are cool to touch as I sit at the base of a tree sketching, absorbed in the intricate detail. My pulse slows, my breath is deep and nourishing, my heart feels full. Absorbed by infinite shades of green my artist's well is filled, inner harmony found, wonder and curiosity peaked. I feel connected to my Earth, to my practice, to my quest for reciprocity through creative process. Bonus points for chocolate covered strawberries on the table when I get back in after another day of painting plein air, sketching my surroundings, and taking in the magic that we are surrounded by. This. This is the perfect gift. Time to be present, connected, reverent to the world around me.

Shall I meet you there?

THESE HOLIDAYS: FINDING CONNECTION

So what I will do, even if just for an hour or so, is find some time this holiday season to sneak into my imagination and memory. What I described above is a very real place, Cradle Mountain, Tasmania. It is where these photos come from. It is where I will live, one day sooner than later (I hope and dream). It is extraordinary and it feels like home. But we can also carry these places, real and imagined, around with us in our heart. I will find a place to sit and look through my photos of the numerous trips I have taken there. I will close my eyes, and put nature sounds on in my ear buds to drown out the sounds of traffic and lawn mowers and dogs barking and kids shouting, and I will walk through the forest in my heart and mind. Then I will journal the adventure my heart and mind took me on, describing the scents, the feelings, the emotions, as well as what I saw, to make it more concrete in my mind. And then, filled with the peace that comes from that bit of joy, I can walk through the rest of the day lighter and filled with gratitude. The perfect gift to myself.

Tell me, what is it that you would most appreciate this holiday season? What ways will you find to treat yourself, to find respite, to connect and be inspired?