Why Santa's Helpers Sing the Blues
Rev. Ted Tollefson
- revted9@earthlink.net
©December 2, 2007 @ UU Society of River Falls
If you get 'blue' during the Holiday season, I invite you to keep these 7 key
words in mind.
1. Light
When our eyes and minds are
deprived of sunlight, we may sink into a dark, depressed state
(Seasonal
Affective Disorder = SAD). To counteract this kind of blues, try replacing
lamps with full-spectrum bulbs, especially in areas where you linger early and
late in your day. Light candles of hope.
Share your Light with those
around you.
2.
Motion
Lack of physical activity is an effective way
to induce the blues. If you walk, run, swim, ski, skate, chop wood or just keep
moving for 20 minutes, your body/mind will enter an "aerobic zone". Your blues
may lift and you'll probably be healthier too.
3.
Senses
Long, cold, dark winters induce a state of
sensory deprivation. The landscape becomes mono-chromatic; the birds are too
cold to sing; our bodies are encased in protective layers. Savor your senses
to revive your spirits: tend a fire, sit in a sauna or hot-tub, listen to music
you love, take up massage, light candles, eat chocolate with fine tea
or coffee.
4.
Ghosts
A card-carrying Unitarian named Charles Dickens
reminds us of the ghost of Christmas past. Happy memories of Christmases past
can make us dread the present. Unhappy memories or heart-felt losses can
fill us with sadness. Scourge learns the hard-way that entering the present
with a generous and loving heart restores to life its zest and
meaning.
5.
Expectation$
Christmas has become a commercial holiday. All
of us who are 'plugged in' to mass media are exposed to thousands of messages
per week telling us to buy or ask for things we don't really need. Even a new
car soon acquires a dent or losses its luster. Lasting satisfaction comes from
presence not presents. Give the gift of an open mind, a warm heart and helpful
hands. Everything else is tinsel.
6.
Story
For some Unitarian Universalists, Jews and
non-Christians, the story of Christmas makes us feel like outsiders.
Critically analyzing the story can free us from the folly of literal-minded
faith, but may not help us make peace with this season. Universalize the Christmas Story by placing it
in the larger context of stories and traditions which celebrate the
return of Light in a dark time. Revivify
the Christmas Story by treating it like a big dream and allowing new
versions to come to light. Translate
the story into ethical values and act upon them: welcome the stranger, feed the
hungry, make peace with old enemies.
7.
Self
The most persistent obstacles to Winter Light
may be our selves. If we are focused too exclusively on our happiness or
sadness, our specialness or our victimhood, we may miss the invitation of
Hanukah and Christmas, Buddha's Awakening and Solstice. Reach out to those
around you. Do a good-deed (a mitzvah). Let your helping hands become
messengers of hope and kindness.
Rev. Ted Tollefson
Tao in the world is like a river coming home to the sea.