Fall Six, Get up Seven: December 2014

Whoa. It seems like only yesterday we were winding down toward 2013 Christmas and New Year's celebrations and now we're in 2014 and in the same position!

Seriously wow. Where does time go exactly?

I do have a theory if you'd like to hear it?

Wait. Why am I asking you? This is a blog. If you're not interested, you'll just click away. However, if you have a curious mind, then read on.....

So, I figure "where does the time go?" might just be quite similar to my washing machine, or at least have something significant to do with it.

Yes, you read that right. And no, I'm not crazy. That I know of.

My theory;
Whenever my washing machine is off balance, it rocks around like it's in a mosh pit pogoing to punk music, similar to how life goes when things are not going so well.

When my washing machine is balanced however, it's smooooth sailing. I can make it play Christmas music with a complicated amount of button presses whilst standing on one leg and I can even add in fabric softener if I want my clothes to feel cudderee for me.
(click this link TV Advert for this statement to make sense)

But it is the tenuous love/hate relationship it has with my socks where my theory of "where does time go" comes into play.
Yes, I can see you nodding already.

So take a moment, think about it a bit more. If time is so elusive AND so is the mystery of missing socks, then doesn't it stand to reason that the two enigma's might be related??

I am almost convinced that wherever time does go? I'm betting that place has the exact amount of odd socks that I do.
Now if only I can get there without having to step through a wardrobe with ski-boots on.
Yes Narnia, I'm looking at you.

Anyway, back on track.

Christmas (or January/February) holidays are a time where you can just relax and begin to decompress from all that stress and intensity you've handled throughout the last 12 months as well as look back and celebrate on the wins you may have had, small or large as they may be.

It's also an excellent time to spend that much needed quality time (or tolerance time) with your family and friends. How often is Life so busy that you are forced to overlook the little things? How often do you have to keep on keeping on so you don't get time to sit down with your kids/grand-kids/nieces/nephews or random children and play a board game?

Or set up the sprinkler in the backyard for them to jump through?

Or maybe just having the patience to listen through one of their terrible jokes that starts with the punch line, then has an "oops" and then comes back with hysterical giggling for the back story?

I have to say my favourites are delivered by my step son Finn. He loves to try and be funny any chance he gets. Add any kind of sugar product and he's almost inconsolable in his mischievous giggling. Now his jokes are almost always fart or bum related – and no, don't look at me like that either.
I'll take this quick moment to remind you that yes, I just might be that "my Dad is tougher than your Dad" Dad in all those stories you've heard. I'm sure you're picking up what I'm putting down here now and I suggest you hang your head in shame.

Fart jokes ARE funny and I won't hear otherwise.

But I digress (again).

Now like me, I'm betting at this time of year you're juuuuuust starting to wind down and feel that "far out, I need a break dude" for all the hard work you've put in over this last 12 months.

I'm also betting you've been getting a little bit more tired last few weeks, maybe been feeling a bit less tolerant with those closest to you than say Jan through October or perhaps you've been burning the candle at both ends and feeling a bit worse for wear all of a sudden. Or maybe you haven't been feeling any of those things and you're feeling more rambunctiously awesome in fact than ever!

Either way, now is the time for you to realise that this time of year can be both hard for some (especially those of us who have lost people), ho-hum for some and great for others.

Now is the time for empathy and understanding, not to mention reaching out if you yourself need some help or even just some company during this time of year.

With all this in mind, I'd like to put a little something out there for you to consider regardless of which camp you've fallen into. No, it's not anything new, ground-breaking or original by any means but it will make a difference for both yourself and those around you if you choose to roll with it.

So what is it?

I would like to challenge you to;

Pay something (anything) forward.

Yes. Be better. Think better. Make a positive difference for someone where you make no personal gain whatsoever. It can be a genuine kind word, a cup of coffee, anything, to a stranger, a friend, anyone.

But don't be anonymous.

That's right. Don't.

In order to make a difference, you actually have to be present in the moment. Human conversation, human contact. It's not that difficult, it simply takes awareness and empathy on your part.

Sure, it might feel awkward, yes it might feel uncomfortable but I assure you, it will enrich the person's day, if even only for a moment.

But that's it. That's your challenge. Give it a go. I'm absolutely going to.

In fact I've already (with my beautiful fiance Andrea) carried out a good deed by helping someone move house to get out of an unhealthy relationship. It wasn't much for us to help her but it made a world of difference to her and all it took was a few hours of our time, my car, some gas and us paying for the trailer which was all of about $35.

I hope this inspires someone out there in blog reading land (YOU) to open your eyes to the world around you so you can see perhaps the plight of someone less fortunate than you, or perhaps someone who is just having a bad day.

Now as a final wind up for 2014, this is the last blog I'll be posting for the year and I want to wish you and your family the greatest of all Christmas's and an even better New Year for 2015.