A Gift: Time to Reflect, Adjust and Rejuvenate

What a gift, time to decompress. Honestly, this year, I just need to gain back some of the calm and composure lost during the year. I’m so grateful for having the next week to collect myself, put things in their perspective and begin the new year with a fresh outlook.

Tranquility.

Sometimes you have to take a break and breathe before you can keep moving forward. – Kayla Panchisin

Are you like me? You know you’re just not looking at things the right way. What is insignificant at other times, just seems daunting now. Well, downtime is needed, that vital “me” time.

I feel I’ve been tied to my schedule, the cell phone and my Fitbit without a break. So this week, I’m changing my routines. I have no schedule, my Fitbit broke, a miracle in disguise, and I’m leaving my phone in a different room. This will alleviate some self-manufactured pressure I’ve placed on my shoulders.

I’ve replaced my calendar with walks, letter writing, books, Legos and even a couple of naps. A dream come true. The simplicity of days like this are nurturing. What else do I need to do? I need to reflect; look at what I’ve been doing, decide on what’s important and adjust accordingly.

Self-Reflection

There are various self-reflection benefits, including but not limited to, improved self-awareness, reduced anxiety, increased self-confidence and improved relationships through more connected communications. Learning about ourselves opens the door for increased happiness. That seems pretty dreamy to me.

This isn’t new to me, I’m introspective. I like to understand my feelings, I need to understand what I really want, so I can move in the right direction toward that goal. I certainly know a week of self-reflection isn’t going to change where I stand today. The self-reflection I’m doing this week begins my routine, my starting point for the new year. This realignment or starting point makes me feel good.

Vision Board

I’m also refreshing my vision board from last year. There’s no need to create a new vision board. I just need to add another smaller board, an addendum to the vision board I’m using today. My period of transition and growth started a while ago. I’ve undertaken certain changes and embarked on a journey. The progress I’ve made, I’m proud of and the more intense, complicated changes I want to continue making will take a little longer. That’s okay though, my path is leading me in the right direction.

Vision Board

Funny, I think having my vision board has been great, but in a way, just like the Fitbit, the cell phone and the schedule, I’ve been so glued to my tools that emotionally, I’ve not allowed my thoughts to be free to wander, to deviate from the structure or let loose of the quest to achieve my goals. I didn’t give my conscious mind the time to forget the goals and just live without these overarching goals.

Instead of seeing the positive steps toward the goals and recognizing my successes on a daily basis, I looked at my vision board and saw unfinished business, progress not made. I turned the positive of the vision board into a negative.

Stretching his hand up to reach the stars, too often man forgets the flowers at his feet. – Jeremy Bentham

Why’d I do this? Along the way, my negativity seeped through (you’re not where you want to be) and blocked out my ability to see so much positive progress. I twisted my thinking. Now taking the time to see where I was and where I am, I see this mistake. So now it’s time to fix the error.

I want to continue with my my addendum; I want to add to my vision board, maybe refine some goals. With growth comes gained insights and further change. I’m evolving and that’s a good thing.

Right now, I’m feeling good. I’m content in my own shoes. I started out learning about myself and that was and is the positive side of the exercise. Now as I move forward, I will remain excited about the daily journey. I will bask in the successes and the small strides because in the scheme of things, putting those small wins together, amounts to a major change.

I think internally we are sometimes quite harsh with ourselves. We must learn how to be kind to ourselves, listen to our messages from within.

Who I was and who I am are all part of who I will become. In 2021, I will forge a better version of me. It is my desire to leave negativity and doubts behind me and face the new year with a positive energy.

In these last days of 2020, give yourself a gift: time to reflect, adjust and rejuvenate.

Life is about accepting the challenges along the way, choosing to keep moving forward, and savoring the journey.  – Roy T. Bennett  

Additional Reading

Top 11 Benefits of Self-Awareness According to Science (positivepsychology.com)

How a vision board can help in a pandemic – The Washington Post

Vision Board 101: How To Make A Vision Board Manifestation Tool (chopra.com)

The Reason Vision Boards Work and How to Make One | HuffPost Life

The Truth About Vision Boards ~ Do they actually work? (thepositivemom.com)

Why is there a Love and Attraction for Poinsettias?

The Poinsettia, for me, symbolizes all that’s good, It connotates joy, beauty, peace, friendship and love. This plant goes with the holidays just as much as the Christmas tree.

A Plant Blessed by God

The poinsettia is blessed by God and people sense it’s wonder. Cecil Murphey writes about a woman suffering from financial strife asking God for a poinsettia. Her prayers are answered, a religion student gives her husband a poinsettia as a gift. When his wife sees the gift, she says, “This is a gift straight from the hands of God for me. I prayed for a poinsettia, and God answered!”

The following year she decides to forego the live poinsettia since her financial situation still is not in a good place. Instead she uses artificial pieces she has from prior years to decorate. God has other plans in mind, he sends her friends with gifts, a red and white poinsettia.

Each subsequent year, this woman receives a poinsettia from someone. Her prays are answered by God, he knows she understands his message, he is there for her.

History of the Poinsettia

What twist of fate elevated this pretty plant to a place of honor especially during the holidays? In order to answer this question, we need to step back in history.

  • The Aztecs call this plant, Cuitlaxochitl, star flower. The Aztecs believed red symbolized purity. They used the red plant tops of the poinsettia flower as a dye for skin and clothing. This star flower was also used as a natural medicine. The Cuitlaxochitl symbolized purity.
  • The poinsettia plant originally came from Mexico and Guatemala. In these climates, the plant could grow 15 feet tall. Although the plant traditionally blooms from October through December, this plant continues to live year round.
  • In the early 1800s, the US ambassador to Mexico, amateur botanist Joel Roberts Poinsett, sent the plant home to Greenville, South Carolina, USA to be cultivated. Colonel Robert Carr and Paul Ecke from California promoted the poinsettia and positioned it to be the Christmas flower.

Today the poinsettia symbolizes joy, love, purity and hope among other things to so many. How though did this plant go from a marketed Christmas plant to a cherished plant during the holidays? I believe it has to do with the Mexican poinsettia legend.

The Legend of the Poinsetta

There are different versions of the legend, some say this legend is about a little boy while others say it was about a girl. I’m going to tell you the story as retold by Tomie dePaola in his children’s book, The Legend of the Poinsetta. This is a story my girls have enjoyed over the years. Maybe this is another reason why the poinsettia symbolizes such joy and love for me.

Lucida, a young girl, and her mom are weaving a Christmas blanket to be placed over Jesus during the Christmas festival. This is their family’s gift to Jesus. Lucida’s mom gets sick before the festival and is in the hospital. Lucida and her siblings stay with a friend since her father must remain at the hospital.

Hearing the others speak about the blanket for Jesus not being finished, Lucida tries to complete the weaving on her own but ends up tangling the threads. They can’t be untangled in time. The friend tells Lucida not to worry, they will go to the festival together and place a gift before Jesus.

The night of the festival Lucida hides, she has no gift. An old woman appears and tells Lucida her mom will be well. She can go into the church. She explains, she has no gift for Jesus. The old woman tell Lucida whatever you give Jesus, he will love.

Lucida looks around, picks an armful of weeds and takes them to Jesus. She then closes her eyes and prayed. A hush fell over the church, the weeds turned into flaming red stars and the manger glowed as if lit by a hundred candles. As they left the church, they see all the tall weeds turned to flaming red stars.

Now every Christmas, the red stars appear on top of all the green branches in Mexico. In Mexico, the poinsettia is called la Flor de Nochebuena, the Flower of the Holy Night or flor de fuego, the fire flower.

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The poinsettia, a beautiful plant that is a symbol of God’s love.

Additional Readings

Exploring Poinsettia Christmas Flower Meanings

Poinsettias and Their Surprising Spiritual Symbolism

Poinsettia – Symbolism and Meaning

History of The Poinsettia Plant – Why is Poinsettia A Christmas Plant

Poinsettias from God

Poinsettia: The Christmas Flower