Page 15 - Sept Oct 2015 flipbook

Can We Have a Stress-Free Holiday?
by Karen Halseth
So every Holiday Season, you set a goal that THIS season, you will NOT GET SO STRESSED OUT!! But have you noticed that when you set your intention and attention on a specific goal, opportunities show up to challenge you, to teach you in every moment how to choose what you really want? So it is with choosing not to get stressed, no matter what the circumstances.
Case in point: My trip to the post office during the holiday season last year. I had received a yellow slip that required me to go to the window to pick up a package. I carefully planned when I would go, since I was completely aware that this was the holiday season and our already busy post office would be packed. I allotted enough time to ensure a stress-free experience.
The atmosphere was exactly as I had expected; a long line had already formed, including many people with numerous packages to mail. I scanned the windows and was pleasantly surprised to see all 4 windows open! I was remaining stress-free and even had a slight smile.
However, it was not long until I noticed that, although 4 windows were open, only 2 had people actually working at them. I was determined not to let it bother me.
Standing at the first window was a mother and her 6 year old,
very animated, very energetic daughter who was attempting to use the strings of her knit hat to create a jump rope. The results were poor at best. With each failed attempt, she expressed her frustration very loudly. I looked for every way to be inspired by the youthful exuberance that I was witnessing. Ok, I did have a thought that
the mother could acknowledge her daughter’s presence as she was tugging on her sweater screaming “Mom I want to see what the man is doing” at least 10 times. But I was not going to give my well being away. I was determined to stay out of judgment and stress-free. I put the smile back on my face.
Then I glanced at the clock and saw it had been 20 minutes and only 1 additional person had been served. Then it became apparent to me that the mother and daughter were getting passports. It was obvious that, with the number of questions being asked, this window would be tied up for a lot longer! I then became aware of the grumblings from those in line. “Only two windows open!” “This
is ridiculous” “ If the post office wants us to do more business with them, they better start providing better service” “What the heck is going on here anyway?”...you get the idea. I took a deep breath and returned to choosing to be stress-free.
I was feeling pretty darn good about how I was doing, when the man behind me decided to engage me directly with his complaints about how this was making him late for his next stop, and he
is a working man after all, and how angry he was at being so inconvenienced. I just nodded my head, showed a compassionate smile, and kept breathing, making sure I did not match his irritation.
Once again I looked at the clock and saw that 35 minutes had passed without any movement in the long line. A little annoyance
began to creep in. I started to pay attention to what was going on at the other window, where a woman had numerous packages and none of them were addressed! She was asking the clerk, “If I mail this to Canada first class how much will it be?” “If I add insurance what will it be?” “If I send it regular post what will the price be?” “Oh, I forgot to ask when will they arrive if I send them first class?” “What if I send them regular post?”
Now, I don’t know why it makes any difference if she was only asking for information or actually sending the packages, but for some reason this is where I lost my stress-free choice and went into judgment. This woman was taking too much time and needed to move on so paying customers could complete their transactions!!
I caught myself immediately and started to chuckle. Right at that moment I re-chose my stress-free experience.
Finally, the passports were completed and the little girl merrily skipped out with her mom. The woman with all the package questions got all the information she needed and moved on. All was well, I thought. The line would move quickly now. But then a collective groan was heard from those in line. I looked over to see the agent at the first window had put up a closed sign because he had run out of register tape. I could not contain my laughter!
Within a few moments the window opened again and the line did move quickly and I was soon out the door. It took 45 minutes that day to pick up my package. But I received my package AND a great lesson in the process. I congratulated myself on staying stress-free for the majority of the time, leaving the post office with a smile. What great practice for me!
Many of us hurry through life going from one place to the next, focused on running the next errand, and believing we will never have enough time to do all the things we need to get done. We allow the circumstances of the day to dictate how we feel. Being
in an anxious and stressed energy does not make anything better or make the line move faster. We can be calm through it all if we just realize that we are the creators of this life we choose to live. Life is a series of choices and being free from stress is one of those choices.
It is my hope that you choose to be stress-free this busy holiday season, and always, so that you may happily live the life that you desire from this day forward.
Love and Blessings, Karen
Karen has as many years of experience as a corporate executive, an entreprenuer, and working in the field of metaphysical healing. She has combined the two and co-founded What Truly Matters: Redefining Success, providing her clients with a quantum leap to success and fulfillment with sustainable results. www.WhatTrulyMatters.com 707-293-9081
Nov/Dec 2015 15
PLEASE!!