Snow Globes and “Shaking Things Up””
How do you improve your life without having to change everything? I think life gets better immediately when you practice your simple everyday habits a little more thoughtfully. In other words, what are you already doing that you can get more out of? Because our habits can make a difference in how we see ourselves – and how we be our best.
One of my habits is my tendency to “shake things up.” Sometimes I’m in the habit of seeking change just for the sake of change. I love to see transformation! And – sometimes it’s good for my growth and development. Other times it creates so much unnecessary distraction and chaos that I get turned upside down and forget which way is up!
I was reminded of this habit during the holiday season when I see a lot of beautiful snow globes. I can’t resist shaking them to create a snowy scene. I turn the globe upside down and shake-it-all about until a cascade of glitter transforms the scene beneath. I think holiday movies have romanticized the snowy blizzard. They always have happy endings! In the real world, a snow-blizzard can blind us and cause us to slip and slide.
Life is like a snow globe. It is always-getting-shaken up. And I think today, more than ever, we are caught up in a fast paced,-impatient,-over scheduled lifestyle that has made us more comfortable with commotion -than peace and quiet. We’ve become change junkies living in chronic crisis, even feeling like something is missing without it.
The holidays can shake up a blizzard of emotions. It’s during this season my hopes (and disappointments) for peace, goodwill, and forgiveness are really challenged. My memories twist, my beliefs spin, and my plans for the future begin to blur, slip and slide.
So this holiday season when I see a snow globe I’m treating my impulse to shake it up as an opportunity to look at my life. I’m asking myself if it’s time to let some things settle down, be still, and know God. Then, and only then, will I see life for what it is, -to make the best decisions, for what can be.
Shaking things up can be necessary and valuable. But when it’s an absent-minded-habit it’s more harmful than helpful. Think about your habit to shake things up versus sitting still and being patient. Is your personal snow globe beautiful and romantic or confusing and frantic? Whatever the case, it’s always good to return to the still and sacred scene of clarity, comfort, and joy reminding you which way is up.
