Who Is Santa?

Who is Santa? Every kid asks that question at some point. They want to know if a obese, jolly man in red really climbs down their chimney every December 24th night. I think this parent answered that question perfectly.

December 24 copy

This mentality has been forgotten to most people. Santa has been turned into a commercial gimmick with no deeper meaning. But in all actuality, that man is a symbol for one of the most important ideas of life. The concept of believing in something that you can neither see nor touch is hard for a lot of people. They don’t believe in religion because they don’t have any physical proof. But at some point in their life, they believed in a man who could slip down the chimney while still being way overweight. It wasn’t logical but it didn’t matter. They had faith in Santa and Santa returned the favor with presents. That’s where the problems lies. They expect to be rewarded quickly for their faith and expectation. Religions usually don’t just hand you presents, saying, “Here you go. Thanks for being faithful.” Religious gifts come in a bit different wrapping. They come in a surprise visit from a loved one. A delay day on the morning of a huge test you aren’t ready for. All of the bad things that could have happened but didn’t.

So this new year, I challenge you to look for those secret gifts and to cherish them as much as you do the physical gifts you get this Christmas. How will it change your outlook on life?

 

 

 

 

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Personal Enemy

How many times do you say, “I can’t do that” or “I’ll do it later” (my personal favorite) or “It’s okay. This isn’t that important.” or a variety of other things?

By saying these things or even thinking them, you are defeating yourself before you even start.

I have the nasty habit of telling myself that I will find time for it later, that I can take the time now to do something less important. It’s burned me many times before and I’m scared that I’m about to suffer the worst one yet. Before I get to that, I wanna talk about something else.

You know that saying that your parents or teachers always tell you? That no one can hurt you without your permission? Well, I used to scoff at it but today I think I finally understand it. No one controls what bothers you. When a guy tells you that you’re ugly or stupid, you can take it to heart and defeat yourself or brush it off, knowing that the problem is on his end. You are your greatest enemy. Everytime you are defeated, it’s because you let yourself. No one can force to you give up or to beat yourself up about something. It’s all up to you. (And, just as an FYI, I’m talking about emotional and mental things, not physical. That’s a totally different story.)

I don’t think that I have ever truly been beaten by anyone but myself. My A-‘s last trimester, my fault. Barely scraping together a varsity letter, my responsibility. Everything falls on me. I’m the one making the choices. Every day I choose between homework and distractions. Between my goals and my fleeting desires. I am determined to make a new start. To make today the beginning of something good. I want to be able to hold my head high (figuratively speaking since I’ll probably be too tired to actually hold my head up) tomorrow at school, having all my homework done and ready for the day. I want to stop feeling defeated when I tell my friends that I can’t do anything. I want to stop feeling like a disappointment when I talk to my parents. Today is a new evening. I have the chance to make the right decisions. I know that it won’t fix everything but starting is half the battle. Today, I will be stronger than myself. And hopefully, you will too!

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