I am, by no means, a ‘Seinfeld’ expert, though I have seen plenty of episodes. HOWEVER, Mac, my Stepdad, loves any show and any movie that makes him belly laugh, so Seinfeld is definitely at the top of his “laugh list.”
AND…..
Mac has been sure to remind me, since the start of the week AND since this morning, that today is the start of Festivus. 😆 This ‘Seinfeld’-created holiday is said to be an “alternative celebration to the pressures and commercialism of the Christmas season,” as explained by Wikipedia.
I have seen this episode once before, a long time ago, but Mac has talked about the “airing of grievances,” the “feats of strength,” and something about a pole….while he laughs uproariously, recites memorized lines from the episode, and waits enthusiastically for when he will watch that episode tonight to commemorate this “brilliant” holiday….🤣
I definitely don’t know the episode well enough to recite lines or get excited about watching it on tv!! And I apologize if that offends the ‘Seinfeld’ lovers out there, who potentially are celebrating Festivus as we speak….I do hope it is all going according to plan and that you’ll be watching this Festivus episode on tv tonight, like Mac, being as happy as can be! 😁
Now, because my details about Festivus are quite limited, I wanted to look at a different version of this holiday that I am calling, “Bestivus for the rest of us.” As in, another way we could celebrate December 23rd, today and in the coming years, that would give a nice twist to the rituals found in this ‘Seinfeld’ episode. I’m not saying that today shouldn’t be a full celebration of Festivus because why not???? I AM saying that I would like to create an alternative celebration for Festivus, (until I finally watch this episode again and do a major refresh 😉) because again, why not have MORE reasons to celebrate!!
So, I was thinking about the “airing of grievances,” which, to my knowledge, is when every person tells their family and friends all of the ways that these friends and family members have disappointed them that year….or something close to that??? 🤔 Can you imagine??? A funny concept that would probably be devastating in person…unless it was expected, I suppose! 😝
In any case, then I came across this photo and this spectacular quote of Muhammad Ali and it gave me an idea:
Upon seeing ^this, rather than the “airing of grievances,” I thought of the “airing of Ali’s armpit”….. look at that reach!!! 😁…… or the “airing of self-power,” as he demonstrates a crushing punch to an opponent. Which then made me see Ali giving his all, doing his absolute best, defending his mind and body from outside negativity, and defeating any obstacle with a knockout PUNCH!! 🥊
With this in mind, what if December 23rd was now called the “airing of self-power,” where we each reflect on our life this past year and acknowledge where we took risks, how we dealt with and/or overcame obstacles, when we chose ourselves and our wellness first, and what we did in order to flow, crash, or zig zag through another year and end up on December 23rd – – – The tail end of this year, with less than 10 days remaining until a brand new year begins.
AND THEN, with these minus 10 days left of the year, what do we do?? We listen to Ali and we:
DON’T COUNT THE DAYS, WE MAKE THE DAYS COUNT!!!!!!!‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️
It can be so easy to look at where things went wrong and where we went astray throughout the year, since progress and results can be anything but linear AND since 2020 has been anything but simple.
So, what if we chose today to list all of the things that we can remember where things actually went RIGHT!!! The higher points of our year, no matter how small, is the essence of Bestivus. To look for the positive light/flicker/glow within the madness. For example:
Where we took a risk and it really paid off.
How 2020 actually contributed the gift of time, where we finally finished a project, took an online class, learned a language, created music or art or dance, completed a long-standing goal…whatever it happens to be….all of the things that we have been putting off for years.
Or how 2020 invited us, potentially forcefully, to wander into the extraneous web of our creativity because life changed so drastically and we needed to find ways to adjust – – – and in turn, we developed new skill sets or realized a natural talent that we didn’t even realize that we had!
OR how about the moments we experienced that were epic and memorable? And the challenges we faced that were met and then even surpassed?
And how about the effort we put in, for ourselves, our families, and our work, in order to keep afloat and keep going within the sea of unpredictability, turbulence, and the unknown – – – don’t forget to list these things!
AND what about the times where life seemingly turned on a dime (or two….or three….or fifty…) and we face-planted, literally or spiritually or emotionally or psychologically or financially or all of them…..and yet we somehow rose again and again, figuring it out as we went and gaining inner strength and resiliency along the way. Definitely don’t forget to list THOSE things!!
Once we have our list and the feelings of pride, gratitude, and awe that naturally accompanies the remembrance of such a powerful list- – remember, even just ONE thing on this list is a cause for celebration on the “airing of self-power” 😊 – – we then let these empowering items fuel us to make the most of each and every final day of this year. To look at the items on this list and use it as motivation to keep doing more of those things!!! To search for all of the ways that we can feel accomplished, cared for, centered, and joyful each day.
And once the motivation and these good feelings start rolling, they will carry us into 2021 with momentum, a renewed spirit, and a powerful mindset, driven by all of the bright points from our list. 🌟💫🌟💫
VOILÀ!!!!!!! That is my newly-created holiday for December 23rd, alongside Festivus, which I have coined “Bestivus for the rest of us!” Feel free to join me, please!! (And Muhammad Ali, with his wisdom!!) Or participate in BOTH of these (fabricated) holidays, if you please!!! 😉
Lastly, may I please extend a real Happy Holidays to you, in honor of all of the holidays being celebrated this month and at this very time!! 🎊🪅🎁🎏🎉
I say this with complete sincerity and with hopes that you, wonderful reader, and your family are enjoying these holiday times together. Even though things are so different this year for a majority of us, like not seeing family or perhaps Zoom family reunions have replaced the in-person festivities this year…or the number of other possible changes to our holidays this year that are set in place in order to be safe, socially distance, and protect our loved ones. It is definitely not easy to have these changes. To feel isolated, to be apart from family for the holidays, and to feel less invigorated by the holidays as a whole. That is completely understandable and then some. Though, I am sure that no one wants COVID crashing any parties and hurting our loved ones, that is FOR SURE. 🚫🦠 🚫
Please: be safe, stay well, be flexible with the changes, be kind to yourself and how you feel because of all of these changes, and maybe allow some sprinklings of joy, love, peace, laughter, light, and magic into the holiday mix as well. These influential sprinkles (or full-on downpours of happiness, if you please!) can very well contribute to how we MAKE OUR DAYS COUNT, despite how different things may be.
Wishing you the very best, with love!!!!
♥️🎉♥️🎊♥️🎉♥️🎊♥️🎉♥️🎊♥️🎉♥️
