Holiday Hangover

As I am sitting here in the Minneapolis airport on my 4 hour layover several things have come to mind most of them trivial but one thing sticks out: optimism. Over break I was constantly reminded of how people need to learn to let the small things go and live life. With the holidays full of family and friends, the biggest outcome is typically stress. We become overwhelmed and start letting the little things bother us. People start nitpicking and complaining about all of the things that went wrong, and forget to focus on all of the things that went right.

Now I am not trying to belittle those of you who had a seriously stressful holiday...trust me, I get that, somethings are just out of our control. However I do think that most of us just need to take a step back and relax. Planes get delayed, weather acts up and people even burn the Christmas feast, but after all of that most of us end up together and fed. There were a couple of times that I got frustrated with the way things were going and then I stopped and looked at the following situations I could have been in:

5. I could be struggling to find a job and home.

4. I could have crashed into a tree again...

3. My house could have burnt down.

2. That plane could have crashed and hundreds of people would not have made it home for the holidays.

1. I could be 9 months pregnant and riding on a donkey, only to arrive at my destination and have to stay in a stable with animals...oh yeah, and then go into labor.

Alas, I did not find myself in any of these situations. I did burn the cookies, my planes got delayed, I got sick, and was late to the New Year's Party but in the end, my family and loved ones were together and things went very well.

For those of you who really did struggle this holiday season, through loss, grief, or just the circumstances of life...I wish you all the best, and pray that God blesses you with a more fruitful and positive 2010.