... And the Grinch put a hand to his ear.
And he did hear a sound rising over the snow.
It started in low. Then it started to grow...

But the sound wasn't sad!
Why, this sound sounded merry!
It couldn't be so!
But it WAS merry! VERY!

He stared down at Who-ville!
The Grinch popped his eyes!
Then he shook!
What he saw was a shocking surprise!

Every Who down in Who-ville, the tall and the small,
Was singing! Without any presents at all!
He HADN'T stopped Christmas from coming!
IT CAME!
Somehow or other, it came just the same!

And the Grinch, with his grinch-feet ice-cold in the snow,
Stood puzzling and puzzling: "How could it be so?
It came without ribbons! It came without tags!
It came without packages, boxes or bags!"
And he puzzled three hours, 'till his puzzler was sore.
Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before!
"Maybe Christmas," he thought, "doesn't come from a store.
"Maybe Christmas... perhaps... means a little bit more!"

And what happened then...?
Well... in Who-ville they say
That the Grinch's small heart
Grew three sizes that day!
And the minute his heart didn't feel quite so tight,
He whizzed with his load through the bright morning light

- - by Dr. Seuss

Whatever holidays you celebrate, may the joys of loved ones nourish your soul.

I've been struck by the paralyzing force - the incapacitating nature - of indecision. Immobilizing acts such as looking for the best job, the perfect partner, or the optimal career path can lead to emotional debilitation. Sometimes, people are mired down by numerous imperfect options, and subsequently choose nothing. No action; only stagnation. Choosing a new path, especially when 'imperfect,' may feel uncomfortable, yet it is an important step toward learning what you like, what you don't, and how to progress. It also teaches us of our amazing capacities to be more than we may have anticipated we could be.

"Be bold and courageous. When you look back on your life, you will regret the things you didn't do more than the ones you did." - - H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

I just came back from a really interesting and exciting vacation exploring three main parts of Chile... but I have to tell you about one of the highlights - Easter Island. Easter Island (Isla de Pascua) is a teeny island in the Pacific Ocean, very remotely located far, far from other lands. The native inhabitants are known as the Rapa Nui people. At dinner one night, I was so fortunate to have the amazing opportunity to sit next to a native Rapa Nui woman whose name is Tina Maria. She told me many fascinating stories about her people, and one that I found highly interesting is that the Rapa Nui language has no future tense. They don't plan in advance. They can't talk about what lies ahead. They have no language for worrying about what will happen tomorrow. They can only address what is happening now and what has happened in the past. As I wondered what that would be like, I also remembered that optimal mental health encourages us to focus on the present. This may be more challenging in a culture that does focus on the future but perhaps we can challenge ourselves to live in the moment.