Staying Positive This December

Staying positive this December is really important. It may be a bit easier because we’re decorating for holidays and celebrating, too. I am personally looking forward to the holidays because the rituals of putting out a wreath and decorating the tree and the house will be a welcome diversion. 

We are creatures of habit and custom.  We’re used to having our lives run in a particular way and we’re stressed when things change unexpectedly.  Right now you may be experiencing lots of sensory overload from all of the uncertainty around us every day.

One of my favorite blogs, The Charmed Studio, ran a very interesting article about Rachel Carson several months ago and I want to share a bit with you. Rachel Carson was a scientist and an environmentalist and also the author of Silent Spring.  Rachel Carson had ups and downs like we all do, but somehow she managed to remain positive. I don’t think she ever wrote these steps out,  but these are some things Rachel Carson believed in that helped her stay positive:

1. Be curious and interested in the world around you. As a child, Carson found a fossil.  This find ignited great curiosity in her to learn more about it  – how it happened to be there and where it came from.  Carson had ignited a “fire of wonder and curiosity” that she preserved for her entire life.

2. Walk on the beach – look at the sky.  Carson loved walks on the beach and I’ve read that she often laid on the sand looking up at the sky and the clouds – enjoying the birds and the world immediately  around her.  I’m not near a beach, but I love walks in the woods or out in the desert and I watch and enjoy the New Mexico sky with its incredible clouds almost every day. 

3. Treasure friends and stay in touch. Remember that your friends are your support group – close friends especially can advise you and help you in stressful times. You can depend on what they say.

4. Believe in the magic of cats and other furry friends.  The warmth, companionship, and solace that we draw from a furry friend or two can’t really be quantified – Rachel’s beloved cats passed away shortly before she did.

I really enjoy the tips from The Charmed Studio.  It’s a terrific blog with articles on a variety of topics.  It’s aimed at artists and writers, but I think the articles are of general interest.    For more about the blog and Rachel Carson go here .