The Letter "E"...

Okay, I admit it. I have difficulty with the Letter, “E”.

This seemingly innocuous vowel begins a lot of words that cause issues.

Words like “excitement”, “endeavor” and “embarrassed”, all lead to other

multisyllabic bigger problems, known as “Entitlement”, “Expectations”,

“Emotional” and “Exhausting”! These are definitely seasonal adjectives, revealing

themselves more than “Uncle Bob” after he drank too many!

We often put so much pressure on ourselves and others during this time, that

by January even the most Effervescent and Eager amongst us find ourselves

crying and muttering in a dark corner.

Was kicking the cane out from an older person walking into a restaurant at the

same time as you really necessary just to get the last available table for your

family visiting from out of town?

Did you really need to take the only “Sweet Sally” doll on the shelf left for your

granddaughter, even though an underprivileged 6-year-old looked at it with

longing in her eyes?

How did screaming at your over-worked hairdresser, who has 2 other jobs just

to make ends meet, really make you feel just because he was unable to cut your

hair, even though you did not have an appointment set for the day before the

holiday started?

Why are you so worried about what your parents think about your home that

was decorated with love? These people changed your diapers and, let’s face it,

that is hard to recover from no matter what.

Most people create resolutions in January, often focusing on how to better

themselves, including lose weight, work more effectively, and meet new people.

I propose we disregard that method of self-improvement and instead create

new goals for ourselves, including graciousness, generosity and gratitude.

For instance, instead of talking to everyone you meet about the 30 people you

are hosting for the holiday meal, find an extra seat at your table to include at

least one more person, to enjoy the festivities with you. Many people are too shy

to admit they have no one with whom they can celebrate. Likewise, if you are

asked and have nowhere else to go, accept and feel blessed by the invitation!

Small steps to make each of us feel valued and cherished, rather than depleted

and depressed!

Next month, I will discuss consonants that bother me. However, for today,

let’s just replace “I with “You” and see how that goes…