Christmas Spirit
The Monday before Christmas, I walked into a Hobby Lobby. My entire body shuddered, much in the same way as the first time I went to Las Vegas. I joked to a friend later that I had a figurative case of the hives. I know many enjoy the joys of crafting possibilities. For me, it serves as a reminder that I am not crafty and dislike clutter and knick knacks. I come by it honestly through my grandmother and my dad. Hobby Lobby also exemplifies all that I dislike about consumerism. All the pretty things designed to jump off the shelf at me, overwhelming all of my senses. Being that it was the Monday before Christmas, as soon as I walked in, I could see all the long lines of people waiting to be checked out. The lines were almost, not quite, as bad as the ones in the grocery store before a snow storm.
There was one joyful spot in all the consumeristic mayhem. There, in the middle of the busiest aisle, the ornament aisle, was a young lady – maybe even a late teen – calmly stocking the ornaments in all that hustle and bustle. It is hard to describe here, her innate aura of calm and well-being amidst all the noise and people. In the middle of hanging an ornament, her name was called over the loud speaker. Without any disgruntlement at her work being interrupted, she pleasantly finished hanging the ornament and walked to the front. I left empty-handed about five minutes later and there she was. She was standing stock still at the back of the line of the first register holding a sign that read “register closed”. She stood so peaceful amidst all the moving people in the lines. I have never noticed before how much people fidget: looking/swiping at phones, fussing at children, touching the temptation displays. She was an oasis, standing utterly still with an inner peace that radiated around her.
She made me think of Michael Singer and his writing that when you calm the anxious mind you can do the most mundane jobs in ecstasy. I have a dear friend (Hi Paula) who scoffed at the idea. “Who would sweep the floors in ecstasy,” she asked. I feel her on ecstasy being a rather strong word, but what if ecstasy is being calm, present and self-contained in the middle of a chaotic Hobby Lobby? What if ecstasy is when you are so content with being with yourself, within yourself, that any job becomes a joy? It struck me that all those people shopping for the right candle, the right wreath, the right knick knack to fill their house with Christmas spirit, this young lady had discovered the true meaning of Christmas spirit. The house you must attend to first is the internal one. If you are at peace within yourself, you just might find peace on earth.
