Beginning the Holiday Season Right

I wonder if I am doomed to blog as often as some people attend church -- a few times a year during holidays or special occasions. This holiday season has hardly begun, but I have noticed that the people around me seem to have already caught the spirit of Thanksgiving and Christmas--gratitude.

Last week, I passed a professor's bulletin board in the hall. Since I had nothing better to do, I paused to look over the collection of political cartoons and articles. Usually these bulletins serve as an example of the professor's political or religious views, so I was surprised at what I found. The article that caught my eye was entitled, "Grateful People Live Longer." There were many tips on being thankful, in order to lead a stress-free life. One idea for fighting stress-induced insomnia was counting blessings instead of sheep.

This advice caught my eye because I had been having trouble sleeping just days earlier. I tossed and turned in bed for hours; I was just so stressed about finishing my research paper in time. After saying numbers in my head, counting forwards and backwards, I was at my wit's end--and still had no sleep. Finally, as a last attempt, I started at 100 and counted backwards, but this time, after each number, I named the first thing that came to my head. It sounded like, 100 classes, 99 finals, 98 essays, 97 days, and so on. Most of what I said aloud was stuff that weighed down my heart and stressed me out. Focusing on the numbers and the random words calmed my heart, and soon I felt myself drifting off to sleep.

A few days later, in the kitchen, my sister and grandma were talking about the movie, White Christmas. My sister remembered the scene where Bing Crosby sang his touching song, "Count Your Blessings (Instead of Sheep)." She loves the uplifting lyrics, which remind us to focus on the good things in life, and to consider how good things really are. Next time I have one of those sleepless nights, I will try to mention good things that happened during my day, while counting backwards. That way, my dreams might be filled with more pleasant things.

I think the only way to really make the most out of potentially trying times, such as sleepless nights or holiday pressures, is by finding a silver lining in every situation. Lord knows that is a tough one for me, as I am often a glass half-empty kind of girl. Instead of getting stressed over my research paper, I need to think about how fortunate I am for even being able to attend college. The holiday season can also be tough for some, but I thank the Lord for all of my loved ones, here and abroad, that can celebrate this time with me.

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