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Healthy Horizons

Laurie Lupold

Life's Little Gifts

The crisp, cool air surrounds me as I walk across the snow. It lightly crunches beneath my feet, a sign of the bitterness of the day. The kids play loudly, sliding from the top of the hill, sometimes ejecting from their sleds and rolling down the rest of the way. To them this time of year means new adventures and uniting with old recreations.

For me it brings sadness. I feel restricted, penned in. I want to break free of this prison. Walk in the glow of the sun with a warm breeze caressing my face and grass between my toes. I resent waddling across the steps, taking great care in every move I make, afraid that I might find myself face down in the snow or worse.

Inside I snuggle underneath my fuzzy, warm blanket, a tiger staring directly in my face. Sipping a steaming cup of hot cocoa, pleased as the froth of marshmallows brushes my lips. I brush over the tiger with my free hand, straightening any wrinkles. The blanket has aged over the years, collected its share of fuzzies, enough to see its wear.

My mind drifts off to the coming of the holiday season, Thanksgiving since past. It was a depressing event. The warriors of the raging wintry weather took me over and I became ill. Certainly not a pleasing setting for the Thanksgiving table. Well, that is passed, now I must concentrate on the Christmas season. Christmas lists and requests by the dozens rage through my mind. I sigh, knowing I have only a small income this year and there will surely be disappointments. Seems there always are, but there will be more this year. I take another sip of the milk chocolate and sigh again.

This scenario is quite familiar to many at this time of the year. The constant frustrations and stresses over gifts and money. Where did we ever develop the idea that we needed to express our love in cents and dollars? I'm sure, like me, you learned these values a long time ago; probably as early as childhood as you sat in front of the tree unwrapping all your treasures, but is this what is really important?

It's only important because our minds have been trained to think this way. We've forgotten about the special gifts, those whose only cost is a little of our time. I have come up with some ideas for this Christmas that I'd like to share. Though crafts might cost us a few dollars to make, they are much less costly than most gifts we choose to buy and they are more appreciated because our time went into them. Most likely they will last much longer then anything else we might choose to purchase because they mean more to the person we shared them with.

Taking time to write a short poem to someone you love is time well spent. When you are finished you can print it out and display it in a frame. To add a more personal touch, you may decorate the frame by using decoupage or simply affixing some ribbon, bows or flowers with glue. If the gift is for a child you may certainly find some little creations at your local craft store that will bring your child cheer.

One thing that my children love and never seem to grow tired of, is when I write them a story, especially if those stories includes their names. For writers this should be an easy project. Okay, so maybe not simple but trust me, it is well worth the effort. After you have written the story you can use your computer to separate it into pages. You can either illustrate it yourself or leave that for the child to do. You can make a nice cover by using two pieces of cardboard and covering them with something as simple as gift wrap or if you want to be a bit more elaborate, you can glue cloth to the cardboard sheets. Now, you have created a gift they will treasure forever and it costs you pennies to make.

I don't know about you but I sure feel better about my Christmas gift list. In just a few words I have resolved my worries for a happy holiday. Give the gift that keeps on giving, give the gift of TIME. Happy Holiday Season to one and all. Remember to keep reaching for those Healthy Horizons!!

Laurie