Dec 1, 2003

I am always concerned about average people during the ‘holidays.’ Doesn’t that word sound wonderful, romantic, hopeful, and exciting? Ahhh… but this is simply not the case for far too many people. Not only do many of us mess it up with too many presents, we put way too much demand on the season to fill life gaps. Then, we try to recreate (or make up for) childhood experiences (whether we acknowledge this or not). Courrier and Ives we are not…and maybe that’s OKAY! Maybe working, living, and giving within our means is a really healthy idea! Some of us quietly endure this time - no money to spend on presents, or people with whom to share presents, or a sense of how to enter into the holy season because we can’t access the holy easily. We might hear them say: We are lonely; our marriages are empty or over, we haven’t felt the warm and cozy connections with other loved ones in a while, and depression seeps in despite our best intentions to the contrary. The pain is private and personal and not something we want to talk about. How do we talk about sad, scared, or lost feelings especially while those around us are making merry? If you’ve got some time and the topic speaks to your interests, check out some of the articles in my Reading Room, particularly the “An Inside Look at the Holiday Blues” article. Two eSeminars in December address some of these concerns. Consider joining us for real talk in real time about the holidays. One focuses on singles and their different stories in a seemingly coupled world and the other looks at what we all do that takes us away from the real focus of the season. Check out the eSeminar times and options at the link below by going to up and coming topics: http://www.womantowomanlive.com/womens_discussion_groups.html