Spending Time With Your Family

photo by CarbonNYC

“Wake at dawn with a winged heart and give thanks for another day of loving.” ~ Kahlil Gibran



I am running to Costco, cleaning the house and finalizing the menu for Thanksgiving. Within a few hours our 1,000 square foot condo will be filled with 10 people and 2 dogs. Although I am excited to see everyone, I know (from the past experience) that emotions can run high during holidays. So, there are few reminders that I developed for myself that will help me enjoy this time of the year:

• Sometimes we get so wrapped up in the preparation and details that we forget what Thanksgiving is about. To me, it is about gratitude and appreciation towards what you have and most importantly who you have in your life. As much as possible, keep the gratitude in perspective.


• Accept the fact that every family has its highs and lows. We often take our families for granted and wish for something or someone different. “If only my mom could”… does it sound familiar? I finally came to realization that my family members are just the way they are. I can hope for things to be different, but the best thing I can do is to accept them as they are. If I have a burning desire to improve someone, I focus on myself. Interestingly, I noticed that improving myself not only makes me feel better, but definitely produces some positive curiosity among my family members.


• Let go of perfectionism during holidays. We all know that life is not perfect. It is so much easier if you let go off the desire to make everything perfect and everyone happy. So, I realize that I cannot clean and organize everything, I cannot cook all the dishes I would like to prepare and that someone may get upset about something. But overall, I think we will still have a good time.


• Share responsibilities. Some of us just have a hard time delegating. I learned that it is much easier and it makes other people happier to help out.


• Everyone is allowed to have their own opinion. Sometimes, there may be a debate and we just really want for people to see things/issues just like we see them. But how boring the world would be if everyone thought like we did? Accept the multitude of perspectives and release the need to be right. If you strongly disagree with something before you voice your disagreement, take a pause and think “That’s interesting… I have never thought about it that way. It is a different way of viewing this issue.”


• The next few days will go by so fast. If you start feeling overwhelmed, find a quiet place for a few minutes of reflection. If no rooms are available (happens quite often in my house), the bathroom works great too.

Have a wonderful Thanks Giving!