The Red Scarf

I had a most spectacular day yesterday. I spent the day getting ready for one a holiday dinner for one of my gaming groups. As I bustled around to put the finishing touches on my holiday table and mixed up my homemade remoulade sauce for the crab cakes, I realized that I was living totally in the moment. Unfortunately, the holidays can become a time when we tend to reminisce more than usual, which can be a source of depression. We may long for the days when we were children and life seemed so carefree and full of magic as we waited for Santa to arrive, or we may feel the sadness of our childhood memories surrounding the holidays. While we can't erase the memories of the past, we can give them a moment of our time and then bring ourselves back to the present so that we can find joy from what exists at this very moment. In looking back, we can choose to remember the good memories and minimize the not so good ones. We can choose to see that the bad choices we made in the past, were what we thought were good ones at the time. While we can't change the choices we have made in the past, we can choose how we want things to be right now, and into the future, we will be able to continue to make choices. I see the present as it is, which also includes so many possibilities. I am empowered to make manyof those possibilities happen, others, I am not. When I travel I love to shop. I like to buy things that are specific to the particular place and I also like to shop for ordinary items such as clothes or jewelry. The reason being that every time I put on that pair of shoes or those earrings, I am reminded of a wonderful experience.The place I bought them is always with me until the next time I get to return. Every year at this time, I wear my long red scarf that was knit for me by my friend who told me at the time he knit it that everyone needs to have a red scarf for the holidays. I agree! When I put on my scarf, I am surrounded by good memories and hope.