Gaia Community: Catherine's Blog

What does a balanced life mean to you?

Tue, 09 Oct 2007 17:36:58 -0000

Wow! This is so cool! I just recently posted a new podcast that explores exactly this topic! -- what we mean by "living a balanced life", and how it differs from setting and achieving different lifestyle goals. The content is intended to help jump start your own thinking about how you can use the Life Balance software to create goals projects and tasks that support different lifestyle objectives. The title for the podcast is even "What is a Balanced Life?" so the Zaadz Q&R read my mind today! ....which seems almost spooky! but who am I to argue, when it is clearly time to simply go with the flow? :-) The audio is about 10 minutes long and is in MP3 and MP4 (also known as .m4a) formats. Enjoy! :-) --Catherine--*

Half full... not half empty

Tue, 04 Sep 2007 16:37:45 -0000

There is no denying now that there is less than a month to go until the Race for the Cure in Boston. I have made it about halfway to my fundraising goal. How to close that gap before September 23?? I don't know. In the training, I'm doing a consistent 33 minutes for the 5K. I also took advantage of a special deal at the gym and hired a personal trainer for the month to help me get from 5K to 10K with three sessions scheduled with her between now and the Race. I want to make the effort to run farther than I need to, so that the 5K distance will seem easier. So right now, I feel like I'm halfway... with just about everything having to do with the Race... even though I'm probably ahead of where I expected to be at this point! Isn't it funny how your feelings can keep you from seeing that you are on target, especially when you are setting a new goal for yourself. To stay motivated and upbeat for this afternoon's session at the gym, I need to shift my attitude to recognize my water bottle as being half full, and drink it up before I start running today! At least that way, I'll stay hydrated! Ahhhh! So refreshing! :-)

Arboretum and Beautiful Evidence

Mon, 27 Aug 2007 21:31:52 -0000

The results of mind mapping techniques depend largely on the nature of the mind doing the mapping. I take a moment to imagine myself an early mind cartographer. Now entering terra incognita. Measuring the latitude and longitude along the rocky coastline of my daily input and interaction with the sentient beings around me. Some people stand out as landmarks. I note in my parchment book with the leather cover that there are minds everywhere that have yet to be discovered, and some in which there be sea monsters. And, now, over there, what is that, exactly!? Looks... unusual.... and... yet, reminds me of something else I've seen lately... Peering through the polished brass telescope ...Aha! I draw a line between two dots, in scratchy goose quill ink, between David Byrne's book Arboretum and Edward Tufte's book, Beautiful Evidence. Art, Science Science, Art, Ping, Pong, Pong, Ping. I get out the GPS, note the way points.

They sent me a pen...

Wed, 22 Aug 2007 16:37:04 -0000

The Susan G. Komen For the Cure organization sent me a pretty black pen with a pink ribbon clip for helping to raise "so much money" last year for the Massachusetts race for the cure in Boston and a refrigerator magnet that says "Run, Walk, Celebrate, Remember." Who can forget? Not me. That's for sure. Yesterday I ran 3.1 miles in 33 minutes at the gym. That's a good time for me. It is less than a month left to go before race day, and I'm pretty much on target with my training. Donations are starting to come in too. I'm about halfway to my goal. It's doable! One step at a time. Anyway, the support from everyone means so much. The money goes to help fund screening and treatment for families who are underinsured and to help fund research to find better treatments and nothing less than a cure to END breast cancer FOREVER, something that families will never have to worry about again. I'm all for that! So when I am on my way this year to "Run, Walk, Celebrate, Remember", I especially choose to remember my aunt (who is unforgettable) naturally, but also I choose to remember to look for the good that our positive actions now can create for other families in the future. That's what fuels this tank! If you feel moved to help out, point your browser to my pledge page too. Now, how can I put this pen to good use?

Okay zPro... what are you all about?

Thu, 09 Aug 2007 12:31:55 -0000

So I've taken the zPro plunge to add in discussions here on the topic of living a balance life for my Life Balance software customers. I am looking at zPro as an experiment at this point. I've been impressed with how well zaadz works and it seems to scale well and the vibrancy of the community is probably no accident. In part, that is a function of how zaadz manages the discussions. So zPro could turn out to be interesting. Let's give it a whirl! :-)

Aroma's Loop

Mon, 06 Aug 2007 15:56:53 -0000

Today my uncle, is doing the MS150 "Bike to the Breakwater." The race is up in Portland, Maine. The intention is to raise funds to benefit the Maine Chapter of the National MS Society. The Maine chapter provides programs and services to people living with Multiple Sclerosis in Maine. They support research to find a cause and cure for MS. Of course, our family spent the last week with us. We are conveniently located along the way. My uncle has done this race a number of times before. He is a randonneur. For him this distance is a mild ride. :-) (Imagine!) No matter how modest he might be about this, I'm taking the opportunity to wildly cheer him on anyway! Woo hoo! Whether he needs it or not! This weekend the Pan Mass Challenge is also taking place. Some of the riders pass right through Franklin in front of our place. That is always exciting to see and makes big news around here. I am wishing all the bicycle riders a good experience today as the cruise into Portland and Provincetown on these great charity rides. This morning, I take that inspiring positive energy still floating around out there and do my first "outside" run of the season in preparation for the Race for the Cure in Boston. Running outside is a lot harder than running in the gym. Weather and hills pose their own sets of challenges. New England pot holes can reach out and grab an unsuspecting ankle. The air this morning was just right -- a cool light breeze. I recently got my first pair of real running shoes. At 5 foot something, I'm small, with short non runnerly legs. None could be more surprised than I am to find out that I am a "Runner." Weird how that happens. I blame Baci. You know that ad about getting a faster dog? He runs for the fun of it, and he taught me how. :-) I did two loops this morning around what we call the "Aroma's loop." We named that after one of our local coffee shops. The run was a little over 3 miles. There are long gradually sloping hills alternating up and down. I ran the whole way. That was my goal for this run. I didn't time it. I just wanted to prove to myself only that I would be able to do it. Stuart thinks I had a good time. I don't know. I felt good. Once I've established that I can do it, it is easier for me to work on the time. This is an important milestone (literally) in the training for me this year. This year is different from last year, of course. Last year, Melissa was doing pretty well. She walked the whole way with us. This year, sadly, no. As I begin, I take a moment to focus on motivation. It continues to be a simple one that propels my feet up the long hill and around Aroma's Loop this morning with a light heart. I am wishing all families, including my own, all the best. I add my own little bit of positive energy to the day and run. If you were out there too, I say, "good going!" Consider your back patted in hearty congratulations!

Share a piece of art that's moved you recently.

Wed, 18 Jul 2007 13:50:03 -0000

My mom, Jean Blake White, in addition to working with us with the customer support center for my business, is an accomplished professional artist. I paint too, but I would say that I dabble. Iâ€™m maintaining my amateur status for when they add watercolors to the Olympics. :-) She and I did this painting together in mixed media â€” watercolor, pastel, and ink, on one Sunday afternoon recently. It was kind of a fun painting â€œduetâ€ in visual form. My mom was on the left side of the paper, and I was on the right. Of course there was also some cross over into each otherâ€™s territory as we got into it. We were just â€œmessing aboutâ€ with a new set of watercolors that we had just bought, and wanted to try them out to see what they could do. And of course, Stuart and I have been â€œmessing about in boatsâ€ with our sailing lessons so the theme evolved naturally as we worked. My mom and I were really pleased with how this painting turned out, because it looked like one composition rather than two, and the page had a lot of brightness and positive energy. You can almost feel the wind gusting across the page and our happy artistic playfulness as we swished our brushes gleefully over the surface of the paper. Even though we hadnâ€™t set out to do anything in particular, we decided that this painting was definitely a â€œkeeperâ€ and we were delighted to be able to share it in the Summer Newsletter for our Life Balance software customers. And now I get to share it with my friends on Zaadz too! :-)

Where do you get your ideas?

Mon, 16 Jul 2007 14:19:00 -0000

The question of the day is: "Where do you get your ideas?" ...but then the question goes on to ask a bunch of stuff with very different answers. And I believe that there are distinctions to be made here that can really help you do better in different circumstances. "What inspires you?" I never lack for inspiration and motivation, I just have to the awareness to be on lookout for it. I am inspired by anyone who is doing something that adds to the world in a positive way, and who is committed to it with all their heart. Their ability to express that commitment through action is what shines through them. And it is that beacon of heartfelt positive action that inspires me to add my little firefly sized glimmer to the world too. It doesn't have to be anyone famous, although there are heros a plenty out there too. Lately, I've seen that beacon shining brightly in the strength of my family. I am also blessed to have lots of customers who are doing amazing things out in the world, from rescuing animals to mapping the sea bed, and they also inspire me everyday to keep doing what we do. As long as I'm looking for it, I can count on that beacon to be there somewhere for me. "When you feel stuck...." Okay, that supposes a problem exists that I can't get my mind around with the direct approach. You can't always solve a problem as if you were storming the beach at Normandy! For me, that "feeling stuck" sensation is a real signal to do something else for a while. Like taking a walk, or gardening. Anything else that will let my mind work on the problem sideways. "...or at loose ends..." That sounds like when I am tired and exhausted, and I need rest. That's a good time to rest and refresh. Sleep on it. Meditate. Quiet the over active, over stimulated, over caffeinated, over wraught mind. Rest. Rest. Rest. "...where do you get your best ideas?..." Direct Observation. If you are looking for an original idea, there's no substitute to looking right at things and bringing to it your own unique point of view. Since only you can do that, it guarantees originality, if not popularity. Experiment. You have to tinker. Some things will work. Some won't. The doing brings new ideas either way, and it is better than getting stuck in a cartoon like thought bubble of analysis paralysis. "Is is by reading? Journaling? Talking with others? Taking some time in nature? Or something else altogether?..." Yes. All of those techniques can be helpful. Although, anything too predigested will certainly not yield up an original idea. Of course, you don't always need an original idea. You may just need to know about something you haven't heard of yet. I am more than willing to do research, and to learn from the collective experience of other people. Combined with direct observation, you can often gain insights that you wouldn't have otherwise. There's nothing wrong with climbing up onto the shoulders of those amiable giants over there to have a look see. :-)

What are you grateful for today?

Sun, 08 Jul 2007 23:00:04 -0000

I am intensely grateful to Stuart for upgrading our company blog software to improve its spam filtering.... again. Hurray! hurray! hurray! I know that it probably won't last, but for the moment... my inbox feels like a more welcoming place of brightness and light again! The barrage of spam our little company receives is full of spirit harm. It takes the wind from one's sails, and leaves me feeling.... like I need a shower....at the very beginning of the day. Such a waste of time and energy. It gets old, real fast. It is nearly impossible to share anything of one's heart, or to be open and generous of spirit knowing that the next day there will a flood of grossly boring nastiness that outnumbers the genuine comments by a factor of a hundred or more. I continue to be awestruck by the absence of spam on zaadz, too. It is wonderful to have that be a non-issue.

Pick three words that describe you as you are right now.

Tue, 26 Jun 2007 13:06:07 -0000

preparing for visitors

When was the last time you were surprised?

Sun, 24 Jun 2007 15:23:49 -0000

There are several songs that Mary Chapin Carpenter sings that we hold dear as personal anthems for our work developing Life Balance, which takes a certain sing it out loud attitude. So, it surprised me to hear that Mary Chapin Carpenter survived a pulmonary embolism recently. This especially because I've seen it happen and I know how harrowing that is. I want to share with all of you out there her essay which I heard this morning, titled "The Learning Curve of Gratitude" featured on NPR's series "This I believe" that she wrote about that experience. We all have times when we need to hold our ground against a tide of difficulty, cynicism, discouragement, malaise, fatigue or doubt. A simple suggestion at the grocery store to "enjoy the rest of your day" helped Mary Chapin Carpenter after her life threatening illness. It goes to show that no matter where you are, or what you do, it helps to find the courage to speak earnestly and with simple kindness. And that no matter where you are, or what you face, or how "famous" you might be. You can find the strength to hold on, in the kindness of others. We all do better when we show respect for the balance in both halves to the equation of "me" and "you." It isn't all that difficult, (mostly it is pretty easy really) and yet it makes more difference than you might ever know. Enjoy the rest of your day too.

Zaadz... brought to you by....

Thu, 14 Jun 2007 22:24:50 -0000

....Little me! Fancy that! Woo hoo! Today, I agreed to be a SPONSOR for Zaadz... at least a little bit... as much as I'm able to at this point. I've been really grateful to Zaadz for giving me such a positive and supportive place to think about things with a larger scope. So, this is a substantial (money where my mouth is) way to say THANK YOU to all my friends here. There are so many cheerful and wonderful posts in the last year that have given me reason to be optimistic! Many of your ideas and discussions have prompted genuine reflection. Your gentle support of one another is like a refreshing cool water spring that I dip into whenever I feel parched and fried. Hmmm. That makes it sound like Zaadzsters could be bottled and refrigerated with a picture of a Moose on the label. Uh... maybe not... but it is definitely been a restorative experience for me personally. So, in a spirit of gratitude and abundance, I also want to do at least a little bit to help Zaadz to prosper and grow. I believe in their vision where we can all lift each other up and support one another including a conscious entrepreneurial way. I'm truly excited to see our little "Life Balance" square of 125 pixels by 125 pixels make its Zaadzy debut soon! This will give folks an opportunity to check out what we're doing to give you a really powerful software tool you definitely need if you are intent on changing the world. :-) Oooo, I'm so excited about this. I hope that my fellow Zaadzsters here will see our little box of pixelated entrepreneurial hope and feel the strong tug of a mysterious magnetic attraction drawing their mouse hand to the right where they just feel inspired to... CLICK on it! May all be auspicious! Let's ALL put the best of ourselves "out there." Why not trust that it will come back to us many times over?

Putting the body, mind and speech in motion for good, again...

Fri, 25 May 2007 22:56:55 -0000

I registered for the Race for the Cure, 2007 for my aunt's birthday again for the Massachusetts race, even though she has now died from the disease. I can sill help other families to not have to go through what we went through, and are going through. Science will just have to figure out better treatments and gain ground in understanding what can go so very wrong in the body... because we just have to. My body is okay, thank goodness... so, I will put it to good use, and run the race again this year, in memory of my aunt. I was so pleased today that my hubby, Stuart also joined the gym today too. He participated in the race last year, walking with my mom and my aunt. Keeping them together and safe, while I raced ahead to get to the finish line. I have confirmed today at the gym that I can still run the whole distance... and I have an opportunity to run a 10K with a friend who is a cancer survivor! So, I have more ground to gain! So if you have the inclination to help, my pledge site is: http://komenmassrace.kintera.org/faf/r.asp?t=4&i=224056&u=224056-131865988&e=1100430732 When you click on the link, it should turn into an https, secure link... You can give any amountâ€¦ it really adds up! Remember, the Komen promise is to save lives and end breast cancer forever by empowering people, ensuring quality care for all and energizing science to find the cures. Proceeds from the Massachusetts Race for the Cure help fund important breast cancer research nationally as well as breast health initiatives on a local level. Thank you!

How might you start to resolve a current conflict in your life?

Fri, 18 May 2007 22:05:57 -0000

In many of the conflicts of my life... and there have been some doozies, almost all of them have been resolved in one of two seemingly contradictory ways that actually amount to the same thing. 1) recognizing that the situation is intrinsically grey and will never be black or white 2) recognizing the situation is black or white, and not grey, and it needs to clarified to be one thing or the other. Which is to say, that almost all conflicts start to be resolved by looking at things the way they are, instead of how I might think they are or how I might like them to be. And that sometimes means clarifying a situation or learning more about it, sometimes it means understanding that a situation is going to be ambiguous and confusing, and will never be otherwise. Many people seem to get nervous about that in between grey ambiguous realm. I've gotten reasonably accustomed to it. I think of it like a coastal cove that frequently experiences foggy weather in the mornings. The grey areas don't bother me so much now that I know what it is and that it happens all the time. The Buddhist point of view is that things do not have inherent existence (although things do definitely exist)...and while I don't claim to understand that completely, one of the things that it means is that even the things that look black or white, may be just a really dark or light shade of grey, or they might look dark grey today and look light grey tomorrow! Still fog... just different fog. One of the things I try to do to resolve conflicts is to not to get too boxed into a fixed point of view that would lead to feeling so conflicted in the first place. I try not to dig my heels in too early. I try to avoid getting to the place where I think "I'm right! Right! RIGHT!" and "that person is wrong! Wrong! WRONG!" Because, neither of us may have the complete information on that situation. How could we, most of the time we know that we're peering through fog!? If we don't hang on to our viewpoints too tightly, we can open our hands and hearts, take in a breath and breathe all that conflict right out into that mysterious foggy grey realm. If we're patient with ourselves and the other people around us, now and then, that fog may just lift like the morning mist on the water, and we'll see sunlight sparkling on the incoming waves. Neither black nor white... but amazing shades of blue and green!

Fun in the Sun...

Tue, 15 May 2007 23:42:30 -0000

I ran across this in one of my Zaadzy pals blog.... took the test and came up with a stunningly wonderful Tarot card. I'm not much for fortune telling... mostly because I prefer to make my own way in the world. But this was easy and fun to do, and yielded up something really pretty to look at and a view of myself that would be certainly something to aspire to! It would be wonderful to think that the long dark night is yielding into day, and that things are falling into place at last. Oh yes. That is something to believe in....even if the thought originated from an unexpected source. Can I PLEASE suspend my skepticism?.... just this once.. give in to accept this. Is it perhaps even necessary to buy in whole-heartedly to this view to make it so? :-) Can I just step into the light... and be that? Can I now choose to move forward with ease? Have I become accustomed to skinned knees from scrabbling over the rocks and through the underbrush? Is that life long struggle so essential to my view of myself that I would refuse to give it up and take my place in the sun? Maybe it is time to just sing along with the 5th Dimension: "Let the sun shine... Let the sun shine in The sun... shine in...."

You are The Sun

Happiness, Content, Joy.

The meanings for the Sun are fairly simple and consistent.

Young, healthy, new, fresh. The brain is working, things that were muddled come clear, everything falls into place, and everything seems to go your way.

The Sun is ruled by the Sun, of course. This is the light that comes after the long dark night, Apollo to the Moon's Diana. A positive card, it promises you your day in the sun. Glory, gain, triumph, pleasure, truth, success. As the moon symbolized inspiration from the unconscious, from dreams, this card symbolizes discoveries made fully consciousness and wide awake. You have an understanding and enjoyment of science and math, beautifully constructed music, carefully reasoned philosophy. It is a card of intellect, clarity of mind, and feelings of youthful energy.

What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.

If you could design a holiday, what would it be?

Mon, 14 May 2007 11:50:53 -0000

I had a couple of ideas for new holidays this morning... 1) Random acts of Kindness Day - where maybe we could see what it would be like if everyone participated in creating Random Acts of Kindness and Senseless Beauty. I propose that be every day... but in lieu of full participation of the population, we could try for August 15, because the end of summer is hot and people get cranky. :-) 2) And the second holiday I propose is "Global Energy Conservation Day" where everyone does their very best to flip the light switches off when they leave a room (or even do without) or install compact fluorescents, walk instead of drive, take public transportation, etc. The holiday would be sort of like Earth day, but with more of an emphasis on reducing carbon footprints as much as possible for one day, and making some changes that would be permanently helpful. Perhaps seeing the impact of that, might give us ideas for doing other things too. I propose that day be May 1, because it could be a follow up reminder for Earth Day, and the planet appears to be giving us a "May Day" hail that we need to change our behaviors and reduce our impact on the Earth's atmosphere. 3) Cookie day.... which is self explanatory. Bake your favorites and share them around. How about today for that? :-P

I am not a mess. I bet, neither are you!

Wed, 09 May 2007 22:46:01 -0000

Paris Hilton, is a mess. Britney Spears... mess. Must work on changing the whole culture to reward those who are not a mess. Or become messier... :-) Now that's a disturbing little thought. One that I do not actually believe is in anyone's best interest, least of all, my own. Yet, I wonder if that kind of thought, in passing, is on anyone else's mind too... changing the world is tough to do, and if nobody notices all that effort, will we even bother? Do these celebrity people really deserve our collective attention at all? My feeling is not so much. To find a healthy solution to that unhealthy little thought before it takes root anywhere among my Zaadster pals, I want to reward the goodhearted, the noble, the endearing, and the virtuous kind people of the world. Zaadzsters... this could be your big moment... the lights, the cameras are rolling (even if they are imaginary ones.) So, collect your praise here.... right now in this little blog thread of mine. If you need some praise, and know in your heart that you have done something worthwhile, I am happy to give you a nod of appreciation for your efforts to save the planet, to change the world, and to make things better for those around you. What have you done lately that you are really proud of? Take a moment and shine....

Being present...

Wed, 07 Feb 2007 21:18:32 -0000

In the last few weeks I have been helping my aunt, who has advanced cancer, and her family. While the experience is fresh in my mind, I want to offer a little advice in case you find yourself in a similar situation. Maybe this will be a comfort and something that you can wrap your mind around. How to help: 1) Observe. You have to be present, to see, to listen, to look around at the environment, before you will be able to know what needs to be done. 2) Act without drama. This is a time for pragmatic, quiet action. If you find your ego getting in the way, one tactic is to identify with the action that is needed. Be the laundry. It doesn't need any praise for sitting in the basket, or tumbling around in the dryer. You don't actually need praise to do it. Let it be just as it is. 3) Be determined. Every step. Every sip. Every bite. Each is a small victory to be celebrated. If a bite is rejected.... come back in five minutes with another spoonful. 4) Take care of yourself. You need to eat, sleep, and have a few quiet minutes to yourself. 5) Establish restorative rituals. Have a little sit with a cup of uncaffeinated tea at the end of the day before bed. Let go of the day's activities and frustrations before you sleep. 6) Connect with those around you. It can feel like you are on an emotional trampoline with other people jumping and sending you this way and that. If you all hold hands and bounce in unison, at least you won't go flying off in all directions. Think of the leverage of Cirque de Soleil, rather than the random bounces of ping pong balls. Connection provides combined strength which will be steadying for everyone. 7) Remove yourself when you need to. If you are feeling frustrated, depressed, overwhelmed or otherwise impaired from being useful... that's a good time to go out to run errands, take a nap, or to get away long enough to regain your equilibrium. Let someone else be in the lead for a while. 8) Find the fun. Watch movies together. Read. Talk about shared life experiences. Listen to music. Offer a relaxing hand or foot massage. Watch nature -- the weather, birds, snow. 9) Find the funny. Even in the darkest days, there are reasons to smile and laugh at the odd turns that life takes. This may not be a good time for "knock knock" jokes... but laughter is still good medicine too. 10) Be kind. Everyone is under unusual stresses and people may say or do things that don't work or come out all wrong, even with the best of intentions. Let go of small slights and mistakes and hold onto tightly to the love. Love is ultimately what will carry you through. It may sound clichÃ©, but it is tried and true. Copyright @ 2007, Catherine E. White, all rights reserved.

New mac.. Grrrrr. Argh! .... Serenity...

Sun, 31 Dec 2006 16:40:03 -0000

Well, my powerbook finally gave up its ghost in the machine yesterday. I am an experienced computer person, and I've seen a lot of machines go in my time. The noises that came from my mac before it died were really spectacularly bad. Luckily I had backups so I wasn't too stressed out about it. Just sad to see it go, and worried about the cost. I had to run out to the Apple Store to get a... NEW ONE... It's going to take a lot of sales of our software to make up for the "damage" done. *yoiks* However, I just feel great about this change anyway, although it looks weird to me. I used to have a 12inch powerbook, and this is a 15 inch powerbook. It's ENORMOUS! I keep walking away still looking for my 12 inch powerbook, thinking this one must be Stuart's 17 inch powerbook. So, anyway, I had to name the new Mac. I got Stuart the "FireFly" DVD set as a gift. (There are two kinds of people in the world, those who believe that Joss Whedon is a genius, and those who are just wrong.) He's amazing and inspiring. So, since it is on my mind, I'm naming the new Mac,"Serenity"... after the cute and hardy spaceship. My last Mac was named Buffy. The first rule of slaying is "Don't die..." so that stood me in good stead for a long time. :-) Maybe I should have named this one "Kendra." :-) The theme song from Firefly includes this wonderful sentiment: "Burn the Land and Boil the sea....You can't take the sky from me..." So I'm naming my new, way too shiny mac (my old mac actually looked the part) to be "Serenity", not because our Life Balance product makes me serene, (which it does) but because hopefully we are slipping past the "Don't Die" stage... and I have a feeling that what our business needs to do at this point is to: "Keep Flying..."

Are you a Grinch?

Sun, 17 Dec 2006 19:42:42 -0000

One of my Zaadzy friends asked the question about whether or not his quest for a quiet holiday made him a Grinch? My reply to him might be helpful to others, so I'm pulling into my blog for further food for thought. There is nothing wrong with wanting quiet time. I think that quiet time is in ever increasingly short supply. I often think that the first step is that you have to turn the television OFF, (even the football) to let the quiet IN. Hmm, as for the basis of your question, "Are you a Grinch?". In my opinion you are only a Grinch if you are actively trying to prevent OTHER people from enjoying Christmas. Stuffing the tree up the chimney, etc. You don't do that... do you? I recently met a Buddhist nun who celebrates Christmas with her family because she likes "anything with presents!" I don't see much of a contradiction there. There are "perfections" in Buddhism, and my understanding is that generosity or giving is considered the most important -- the beginning place. Where, even if you can't give something, you can imagine giving it, and that plants the seed where you may eventually be able to give it. To avoid being Grinchy, I think you need to recognize that the kindness and inclusion offered by your friends family and colleagues are also in short supply. Here's some food for thought for approaching the holidays. What three things do you like about the holiday season that are NOT a pain in the butt to do? Make a point to do those. (Example: I like a door wreath, I like cooking a special meal or cookies, I like watching Dicken's "A Christmas Carol" with Alistair Sim.) What three things do you want to avoid? (Example: I want to avoid the Little Drummer Boy like the rum pum plague, I want to avoid busting the budget, I want to avoid hurting anyone's feelings) What three things are most important to someone you love who does celebrate Christmas? (Example: Stuart wants to give presents to his family. My mom wants to wrap presents together. My sister likes to do "cloved oranges" and things that smell lovely...) I can do those things with a glad heart, and help them to enjoy those things. Everything else is completely optional. I hope that you enjoy the best that the season has to offer you with those near and dear to you. Namaste! :-)