"...and the (leg) lamp blazed forth in unparalleled glory...."

A few nights ago I had a little meltdown. I lost an expensive battery pack that attaches to my ski boot and warms my foot when I'm on the mountain playing in the white stuff. The timing of the missing hot pack was terrible, as we had received three feet of fresh powder the day before, and I was gearing up to go skiing in the morning. No big deal, you might say, but for my previously frost bitten foot, skiing in the powder with temperatures in the teens wasn't an option. As soon as I noticed the battery missing, I knew when it had happened--my boot had taken a tumble in the parking lot a few days prior as I had hurried from the slopes to work.  I immediately went to self-blame, I should have taken better care and not been in such a mindless hurry. My mood turned sour, self-blame coloring my perception, literally making me deaf to my husband's problem solving consolation attempts.

After about thirty minutes of stomping my cold feet like the baby I was, it hit me to stop the insanity I was creating and shed some light on what was going on inside versus everything wrong on the outside. Why was my self-blame so consuming? I sat down, began to tap and literally envisioned light illuminating the situation. Like Ralphie enthralled with his father's strange but compelling "major award," I got as curious as I was capable of becoming and began exploring the most telling part of the experience--my reaction. It took about five minutes of conscious body work to bring my internal distress down and in turn become more resourceful.

When I woke in the morning and looked out at the blessings still falling from the sky, I was reminded of this season of unparalleled light as the days become longer and sunshine lengthens across the land. I was reminded that I always have the choice to change my perception, consciously stop and turn the light of understanding toward my Inner Constellation, to become curious and enthralled rather than blinded by the outside evidence as I point my finger in blame. May the lamp blaze forth in unparalleled glory....for all to see and be curiously drawn! Merry Christmas.