Time to stand still

It's that funny time of year between Christmas and New Year's Eve when time seems to have stopped. At least, that's how I experience it. For those of us celebrating Christmas, it's one of the more significant events in the year to look forward to. Or dread, maybe, depending on your situation.

It's also the time of year when kids are free from school, and people take time off, maybe even enjoying a short holiday break. In general, not much is going on after the busy times of Christmas celebrations.

Current weather conditions in the Netherlands don't help either: gray clouds everywhere and occasional rain. And so these days all look the same, and I have to think hard which day of the week it is.

In the past, when I was still a workaholic, I enjoyed being at the office these days. With only a few people around, I would get more work done and think I would finally be able to attend to those tasks that were always at the bottom of the pile, shouting for my attention. That hardly ever worked out.

Later on, I learned to appreciate these days as holidays. But I still would plan too many personal projects in those last days of the year as if I could make up for the lack of planning (or priority) in the year so far. That's also not how it works.

And so I have learned to embrace these quiet days at the end of the year and go with the slow flow of time. I am just enjoying the stillness of it all, no hurry, enjoying the good company of my family, some games, some walking, some reading, no obligations. It feels like a gentle preparation for this next big thing, which we call New Year.

It also means thinking back to everything that happened in the past year. And to feel grateful for all the good things in my life, big or small.

This state of reflection and appreciation fits nicely with my annual retrospective routine that I have undertaken for a few years now. I look forward to this year's review later this week, which I will conduct for the first time with my wife. I'll share our experience in an upcoming edition of this newsletter.

For now, I'd like to thank you for reading my newsletter. I hope you enjoy it and find it inspirational. Feel free to forward it to others if they are interested in a particular topic. The next edition will be published on Thursday, which is already in 2024!

And so, I'd like to finish by wishing you a very happy new year, with lots of love, good health, and happiness!!!

Take care, and till next time in 2024!

Kind regards,

Herman / Scrumpy Dad

I inspire people to find their purpose and stay loyal to their goals and values so they can create more happiness in their lives.

Check out the Scrumpy Dad website for more help.

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