'Tis the Season to Be Jolly - By Amy Rice

Do we really need a ‘season’ to be jolly?  Doesn’t this imply that December is a great season so you should be jolly?  Is it the season that makes me jolly?  I can say for certain there have been times during the Christmas ‘season’ when I’ve felt everything but jolly.  If it were the season that made me jolly, wouldn’t I be happy throughout the entire month of December?   When taken out of context can I still be ‘jolly’ if being in Costa Rica doesn’t really feel like a typical December season? 
 
It’s an interesting experience being in a tropical rainforest during the Christmas Season.  

The climate is warm but wet, the flowers are in bloom, the birds sing daily and it’s bright out by 5:30 am.  The howler monkeys are predictably active by 6 am and they make for punctual alarm clocks.  It certainly is different and my immediate desire is to list the pro’s and con’s of celebrating the season in Vancouver vs. celebrating in Costa Rica and to actively decide which environment would make me the happiest.  The implication is that it is the experience outside of myself (cause) that dictates my internal state of joy (effect).  This is a very common view.  My happiness is dependent on external circumstances.  What we work on at the centre is the reversal of this cause and effect relationship.  My ability to connect within my Self (cause) opens up the experience of joy wherever I am (effect).
 
When I feel connected to the Source of who I am, I experience the joy of driving in downtown Vancouver, admiring the colours of winter wardrobes and the diversity of storefronts transformed by lights and decorations.  The same route, the same people on a day I’m feeling disconnected, insecure and full of self doubt results in an experience of irritation -  sitting in traffic jams while self-centered shoppers push their way into over-dressed stores hoping to find the perfect gift.  Two perspectives, same city.  My experience comes from my internal frame of mind.  If the windows of my soul shine bright and clean, I’ll see the beauty in any situation.  My joy is reflected outwards and I see the infectious smiles on the Costa Rican locals, the horses dancing down the streets of Arenal, the magnificence of the rainforest and celebrating Christmas ‘El Cielo’ style.  When I’m believing I’m separate, weak and not good enough I look through the streaks and smudges and hope to catch a glimpse of something bright…desperately seeking something bright enough to distract me from myself.  My work is about training my mind to align with the Love within. 
 
Love comes first from recognizing my connection to all things and then that love is projected outward to whatever I see, wherever I am.  It allows me to see the unique joy in what is being offered in that moment.  This fact allows me to choose my experiences and reinforces my power as the Author of my life.  I’m jolly; therefore, t’is a great season!  

By Amy Rice