Slices Of Hope — Bringing fulfillment into your life
Saturday, October 31, 2009 9:02 PM PDT
Vinccent Muli Kituku
For most people, holidays provide the opportunity to be with loved ones, rest from hectic schedules and renew spiritual focus. But we have also come to associate this time with gift swapping, and, for many folks, this can be a stressful experience.
I happen to be a “Recovered Holiday Stress Sufferer.” Before coming to America in the mid-1980s, Christmas season had a different flavor. It was eating a meal that ordinary folks could only afford once a year. This was a time when distant relatives would show up and share goat meat. And my memory includes listening to men, who had taken several calabashes of traditional liquor, speak English — the symbol of progress, even when they did not understand the language.
The challenges of making sure that all who send you a card or gift get a card or gift from you started in 1987. This was my second year in Laramie, Wyo. Friends and family sent me cards and gifts. Then I learned I had to reciprocate their gesture. Shopping has never been my strength, and, for years, I had a hard time during the holidays. There was the pain of going through the list of what to get for whom and then the guilt after missing someone. It was pain and guilt I had to leave behind.
Here are proven ways to bring fulfillment into your life, reduce stress and stay inspired:
• Go to a restaurant and check for a table with senior citizens and anonymously pay for their meal.
• Visit someone (not a relative) who is home sick.
• Take a veteran out for lunch.
• Pay and have pizza delivered for firefighters, police or paramedics anonymously.
• Share your talents with young people, especially those with mental or physical challenges.
• Cook and/or serve a meal at a homeless shelter or soup kitchen facility.
• Visit someone in prison.
• Write a thank you note or an encouragement piece to someone who is not expecting it.
• Call someone who helped your personal or professional endeavors and thank them for their contribution.
• Visit people who have lost loved ones or their jobs and those with other needs.
• A special gift to yourself could include sleeping enough, exercise, reflections of your past and how it relates to the future you envision, learning something new, saying no to what may negatively interfere with your goals and setting achievable goals.
So, don’t let the holidays be a stressful experience. Remember these ideas and don’t forget the loved ones, rest and renewal.
Dr. Vincent Muli Kituku is a motivational speaker and adjunct professor at Boise State University. He can be contacted at (208) 376-8724 or www.Kituku.com. The views and opinions expressed in this column are not necessarily those of the Argus Observer.
