There’s a lot of self-help guff written about the holiday season this time of year: how to enjoy it, navigate it, manage one’s stress over it, put up with the ‘rellys’, not over indulge, be mindful, to name but a few!
I’m not going to add to the plethora of strategies out there, but there is one small practice that we can attend to over Christmas & New Year, particularly with our loved ones.
“The most basic and powerful way to connect to another person is to listen. Just listen. Perhaps the most important thing we ever give each other is our attention… A loving silence often has far more power to heal and to connect than the most well-intentioned words.”
Rachel Naomi Remen
To listen deeply and be present for others, as the quote implies, is perhaps the greatest gift we can give.
Happy Christmas everyone.
Image courtesy of Benson Kua