The Most Important Gift
Over Thanksgiving weekend, I struggled with what to write for the YDY newsletter. Saturday evening, I decided to take a shower to clear my head. I came out of the bathroom in time to hear the apartment building's fire alarm! Don't worry, I got dressed first. Then with wet hair and flip-flops on a cold night....I threw the 4 kittens I'm fostering in a cage and dragged it out the patio. All the while worried if I had time to rescue my neighbor/friend Jeff's cat. Turns out it was a mattress fire on the 4th floor. I'm on the 1st, so my apt was fine. After it was over, I realized I had my answer to the age old question.....what would you save in a fire? Pets, I would save my pets. No thought of any of my "stuff". Just those bundles of fur and cuteness that I love so much.
Which then brought me to thoughts of our materialistic society. Did you know that 40% of retail sales occur between Thanksgiving and Christmas? 40%!! All the stress of holiday shopping, the crowds, the jerks, the strain on the bank account, popular items that sell out, for what?! Do we even remember the presents we give or receive from Holidays past? Other than the bike I got at 7, I'm hard pressed to remember past Christmas gifts. I'm not knocking gift giving, or saying that we shouldn't by gifts. It's just that I feel we focus more on giving material goods and are missing real, honest connections with each other. Gifts can become forgotten, shoved in a drawer or the back of a closet. They can break or get lost or stolen. I'm sure I'm not the only one who received a gift and then thought, this isn't something I like, does this person know me at all?
What we really treasure and remember are how the others in our lives make us feel. So,during the Holidays and all year round...let's make it our goal to love one another, connect with one another, be there for each other, create wonderful memories.
If you are wondering about the kittens, they are adopted. I'm adopting two.
Pictured on Left.
Sandi is a cat mama & yoga instructor with over 10 years of experience, most of them with You Do Yoga! She describes her yoga class in 3 words as: "Laughter is included!" Sandi lives in Northside, and isn't afraid of a little quirk!
Come hang with Sandi Wednesday Mornings @ 10:30am.
