You are enough
How are you doing? Did you make it through this past week's frenetic bombardment of sales messages? (But really, it's longer than that, isn't it? It started before last week and it's still going on). Am I the only one who finds it so exhausting?
I'm never really comfortable with the whole Black Friday-Cyber Monday (week) thing. It's just too much. This year I stopped to pay attention to how all these messages (at times frantic, almost panic inducing... don't miss out, HURRY!, TODAY ONLY!, FINAL HOURS!) were making me feel, and what they're designed to make us feel. That we don't have enough, and more than that, that we ourselves are not enough if we don't buy this or that shiny thing, whether it's for ourselves or as gifts.
I can choose to avoid stores and sales flyers and website advertising, but I can't avoid my email (at least not for long). I stepped away from it for about 15 hours or so this weekend, but when I came back I couldn't believe how many messages had accumulated.
Exhausting. And disheartening. The US celebration of Thanksgiving (which, yes, I know, is tangled up in troubled history and politics of its own) gets trampled beneath capitalism. Greed overshadows gratitude.
That, perhaps, is an oversimplification, but not entirely untrue. How many of the emails in my inbox this past week encouraged thankfulness or inspired quiet reflection? How many of those messages spoke of recognizing my own abundance? How many urged me to celebrate simple beauties, the kind with no price tag attached?
A few. A few voices speaking up in the middle of that cacophony. (Like this one. And this one. And this one).
The truth is, I am enough and I have enough (so many people in this world do not) even if I miss out on buying those shiny things.
This morning I looked out the bathroom window to see a sunrise sky filled with color. I came back to the bedroom, opened the curtains and sat on the end of the bed watching the sky. One cat on one side, the other on the other, both purring. It was a moment that I could have easily missed. Fleeting beauty and peace and contentment. We have opportunities for those peaceful moments each and every day.
Don't miss out.
And remember, you are enough, too. Just as you are.
I'm never really comfortable with the whole Black Friday-Cyber Monday (week) thing. It's just too much. This year I stopped to pay attention to how all these messages (at times frantic, almost panic inducing... don't miss out, HURRY!, TODAY ONLY!, FINAL HOURS!) were making me feel, and what they're designed to make us feel. That we don't have enough, and more than that, that we ourselves are not enough if we don't buy this or that shiny thing, whether it's for ourselves or as gifts.
I can choose to avoid stores and sales flyers and website advertising, but I can't avoid my email (at least not for long). I stepped away from it for about 15 hours or so this weekend, but when I came back I couldn't believe how many messages had accumulated.
Exhausting. And disheartening. The US celebration of Thanksgiving (which, yes, I know, is tangled up in troubled history and politics of its own) gets trampled beneath capitalism. Greed overshadows gratitude.
That, perhaps, is an oversimplification, but not entirely untrue. How many of the emails in my inbox this past week encouraged thankfulness or inspired quiet reflection? How many of those messages spoke of recognizing my own abundance? How many urged me to celebrate simple beauties, the kind with no price tag attached?
A few. A few voices speaking up in the middle of that cacophony. (Like this one. And this one. And this one).
The truth is, I am enough and I have enough (so many people in this world do not) even if I miss out on buying those shiny things.
This morning I looked out the bathroom window to see a sunrise sky filled with color. I came back to the bedroom, opened the curtains and sat on the end of the bed watching the sky. One cat on one side, the other on the other, both purring. It was a moment that I could have easily missed. Fleeting beauty and peace and contentment. We have opportunities for those peaceful moments each and every day.
Don't miss out.
And remember, you are enough, too. Just as you are.
Very nice post Anne! I did a "Give Thanks" sketch to remind myself and others to be grateful!
ReplyDeletehttps://www.annieglacken.com/2017/11/22/give-thanks-pumpkin-and-squash-watercolor-sketch/
My husband and I were just saying that we wished Christmas would be like Thanksgiving: a time to celebrate with family and friends without all of the gifts. Wouldn't that be refreshing?
Thank you, Annie. What a great idea to do a sketch like that. And yes, I totally agree that Christmas would be much more joyful if it were more like Thanksgiving. Giving thanks instead of giving gifts. We can dream. :)
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love.
<3
Thank you so much! And thank you for stopping by!
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