Five Things I Believe

Christmas Day is in a couple of days, and my mom recently told me that some schools in New York were banning the image of Santa Claus because they deemed Santa a "religious figure". Um..say what? Santa Claus a religious figure? I don't know about that. Nowhere in the bible is a jolly man with a red suit mentioned...or maybe I just missed that part. The conversation got me thinking about my own belief system, because there are things that I firmly believe that others do not. Does that mean we can't be friends? I hope not. But it does mean that I operate my own brain, and don't necessarily hop on the bandwagon just because it's now universally, or legally, accepted.

Believe - to have confidence in the truth, the existence, or the reliability of something, although without absolute proof that one is right in doing so.

So here goes, 5 things that I believe:

1. Jesus is the reason for the season. I believe that Jesus Christ dies on the cross for my sins, and that he rose again on the third day. I don't need to see pictures, or other artifacts as "proof", it's just something I believe. He is the reason my family is celebrating Christmas on Friday.

2. Life really is what you make it. Maintaining a positive attitude will add years to your life, and greatly reduce your stress levels. I try to remain calm in any situation and look for the good, or the silver lining, in any difficult time. It doesn't always work (hey, I'm human and am entitled to a meltdown or two), but I find that I am generally happier when I make the conscious effort to be happy. It's very easy to get angry, so I just focus on the positive.

3. Traveling is good for the soul (and the best form of education). If I could travel year-round, I really believe that I would. Visiting new places and cities is my favorite thing in the world to do. It really doesn't matter to me how far I go, but visiting somewhere I've never been is definitely my happy place. And all the better if my family's with me.

4. People will forget what you said, but they'll never forget how you made them feel. I know this from experience. So many of my family members and friends think that I'm this tough girl with a no-nonsense exterior, but only few know how truly sensitive I am. It sucks, but I do remember how people have made me feel when they took a jab at me. I try to think about what I'm going to say before I say it, to prevent other people from feeling bad.

5. There is a "RIGHT" way to do things, and a "WRONG" way to do them. This one is totally subjective, of course, but I experience serious anxiety when someone is doing something differently than the way I would have done it. I know it sounds weird, but once I formulate a plan of action in my head, to me that's the way it has to be done. A point of contention in my marriage, for sure, but it's something that I don't think I can change at this point. Believe me, I've tried.

Have a Very Merry Christmas with your families, all!