Allow joy to make the most of you, every day of the year
By Brian Tuck
It never fails, the commercials still make me tear up and the Xmas carolers make me want to roll my eyes, yet I discretely stand by listening in on the melodies that take me back to a simpler time. I find myself comparing the experience I have for the holidays with the commercialized ones I see on TV and this whole concept of giving and joy. Perhaps there are ways to bring peace and joy throughout one's entire life. The act of giving and sharing should spread throughout the entire year.
The Holidays are indeed a great place to start, but I always found it funny how people seem to reach out and care only a couple weeks a year. I'm not talking about spending money on gifts for people every week, but referring to the sense of joy and good will towards others. Is it suddenly so important for one's conscience because one has turned a blind eye every other day of the year? Who is trying to make who feel good here?
The joy of giving a couple of weeks a year is better than none at all and can be very welcomed and needed. Charity and volunteering are great ways to recharge the part of our hectic lives that are sidetracked from schedules and ambition. We seem to purchase gifts instead because that's what is expected of us, because it's quicker than making one, yet all the gift shopping seems to be a chore for most. The true meaning of the Holidays soon forgotten, we become marionettes of consumerism while our heartstrings are pulled on to spend more.
In these harder times where money is tighter maybe our love can be shown best with charity instead of merchandise; with our time, instead of money; with our presence, instead of our sympathy. Whether volunteering, catching up with an old friend, spending quality time with family you don't normally get to see, holding the door open for the person behind you; simple kind gestures for a stranger or even a colleague.
Yield to the person who cuts you off at the grocery store or on the highway. Yield, to allow for a small exchange of compassion. Receive compassion from others as an exchange deeper than giving or taking. Let it filter in, observe, taste and contemplate even for a fraction of a moment...is more than some may ever do. Let joy branch into other parts of your life and into the lives of others, however it may manifest. Author Andrew Harvey positioned this concept best, "what did you do to change the world while it was burning?", he asks. Compassion can't live up to it's fullest potential if we don't live it through action, share and inspire others to do the same. Peace and joy truly starts within. Yield.
From everyone at GayCompatible.com,
We wish you a safe and Happy Holidays, enriched with compassion and joy.Brian Tuck
Brian Tuck was born in 1979 and raised in Montréal, Quebec. Completing a degree in Human Relations and Sexuality, he always had an interest in how people interact and what motivates the behavior of an individual, group or community.For the last three years, Brian has also been instructing yoga all over the city. With thousands of hours in the studio and almost a decade of personal practice and certifications under his mat, he brings insight into work/life balance, stress management, a passion for fitness, nutrition and all things that ground us. He's excited to bring a Mind/Body element to GayCompatible.com.
Known for never shying away from expressing what's on his mind, Brian enjoys tackling any topic, so if you have issues you'd like him to cover, feel free to share them with us!
