Friday, December 19, 2008

Twelve Days of Christmas: Day Eight

Flexibility

A bit of flexibility is a flattering style on all of us. We need some in our wardrobe year round, and especially during the Christmas season. This is what allows us to adapt, bend, change directions, and hit some speed bumps in our well-laid plans with some grace. It’s like the 2 % spandex in a pair of jeans that makes them so comfortable.

This doesn’t mean that we become wimps or doormats, or that we allow ourselves to be manipulated by the boundary-busting of others. It’s OK to say no when we need to. Yet there are times that our ability to adapt to the current situation makes life so much less stressful on ourselves and those around us.

I thought I would be able to write a Christmas blog every day, but some of you may have noticed that I didn’t post one day. Rigidity would have kept me up very late on a night I was worn out. That is what started my thinking about flexibility. I decided I needed to have a little “give” in my best intentions. I could always post two in one day if I wanted to, or I may run later than I planned with the last post.

Throughout this holiday season I have found myself needing to exercise flexibility quite often. I have intended to finish up my shopping at a certain store for several days. On Monday the roads were icy, so I postponed the shopping. On Tuesday, I thought I would catch this store on my way back from two appointments in Boulder, but my daughter wanted her hair trimmed after she picked the kids up from school, and I was tired anyway. (If I had been unable to cut her hair, she would have exercised some flexibility with me, too.)

Then I thought I would go on Thursday afternoon, but something else in the morning took longer than I expected, and something on the other end would have made me rush. So I opted to watch my other daughter’s two little girls so she could go stand in line at the post office to mail a package.

I still need to go shopping, and I may actually go this morning. Yet I’m not sorry that I have made some adaptations in my plans. Even though flexibility may not be my strongest suit, I’m working on it. And I have to say, I’m happier when I allow myself to make these kinds of changes and adapt as life unfolds.

When I think about rigidity, it really isn’t all that attractive on any of us. It is about as comfortable as jeans that are two sizes to small with NO spandex—NO stretch. Rigidity doesn’t wear well with others either.

So let’s all go to the closet this morning and choose to attire ourselves with more flexibility today. It’s flattering!

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