When does abundance become too much?

In the U.S., we hold three festivals of abundance for the final
months of the year: Halloween, and Thanksgiving in Fall and
Christmas on the cusp of Winter.

Feasting through harvest is a very old human practice. As the days
start to cool, plant foods are as abundant as in Summer, and, when
we did not have the technology to store them in freezers and cans,
we stored them as fat. Wise herders would trim their stock before
the fodder grew scarce. That meant extra meat on the table. Fall
was time to eat and celebrate before the cold, lean months of
Winter.

By this standard, Thanksgiving is the most traditional of our Fall
holidays. To deliberately draw attention to being grateful for the
abundance was the early American innovation. It has done well for
us. The extra step of appreciating our abundance — as well as
consuming it — adds depth to the celebration. It creates a pause
that lets us feel the value of what we have, instead of rushing on
to the next acquisition.

I feel richer stopping to savor what I have than chasing what I
don’t. Check in with yourself — which feels better? Wanting, or
thankfulness?

Of course, I love Halloween and Christmas, too. At Halloween, we
have so much candy that we can give it away for the asking. And we
have so much freedom that we can try on any identity we choose to.
At Christmas, we celebrate the gifts that we have been given, and
the chance to give. The more prosperous I have become, the more I
prefer giving. Making someone happy is more fun than adding more
stuff to my stash. There is a slight paradox here, as my family
also has what they need. So we’ve made the gift exchange more of a
game of giving than an obligation.

In the stores, the displays seem to push for more, more, more.
Many retailers jump right from Halloween to Christmas now — I
guess Thanksgiving is not as marketable. Isn’t it interesting that
just as the sellers started skipping Thanksgiving’s pause for
appreciation, we started naming Black Friday?

Black Friday is the day after Thanksgiving. It had become the
biggest retail day of the year, as shoppers with a rare weekday off
went out to get a jump on their Christmas purchases. Now, we label
it to recall great disasters and the Black Monday stock market
crashes of 1929 and 1987. By repressing Thanksgiving, we’ve
created a retail shadow. For some, it is a protest against
commercialization of the holidays. For some, it is a day too
crowded and hectic to venture from home. For some retailers, it
becomes a disappointment, as the hoped for sales do not
materialize.

It is a natural process. Push something too far, and it creates a
backlash. In this case, what we’ve pushed too far is buying and
gathering stuff. I expect the backlash to get stronger, even as
Christmas displays become more insistent. Chase someone too hard,
and they begin to run away.

Keep an eye out for going too far this season. Pause to appreciate
what you have.

For my part, I appreciate you reading my newsletters. If I can
serve you, please let me know.

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A Gift

I now offer a free preview of From Wishing to Writing. It includes
the text of the first four days of the Kickstart Your Writing
E-Course, in addition to information on the top seven problems that
stop writers cold and the entire chapter to solve the first problem.

Please help yourself to the free preview at
www.annaparadox.com/from-wishing-to-writing/.

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Small Steps

“That’s one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind.”
Neil Armstrong, as he placed the first footprint on the Moon.

This issue’s Small Step for Space: Write to your representatives to
let them know you support tracking near-Earth objects.

The budget for observing space objects that might collide with Earth
is currently under review. A letter to your Senator or
Representative at this time could be especially effective.

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Book Recommendation

Titan by John Varley

Cirocco Jones is the captain of the first NASA ship to approach
Saturn. When they discover an artifical body orbiting Saturn, at
first it is a chance to ignite some interest in Space among the
bored nations of Earth. When the body reaches out and grabs their
ship, it becomes a matter of personal survival. This is a great
adventure with adult sensibilities. Varley adds interesting
personal dynamics to a story whose scope grows throughout the book.

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We are smarter together! Please forward this newsletter to a friend.

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Creating Space is my twice-monthly newsletter. In my usual
fashion, I chose the name for more than one reason. One goal of my
newsletter and my coaching practice is to create a space that opens
new perspectives on my clients’ lives. Another goal is to offer
information and support for creating a spacefaring civilization.
It will take many, many steps for humanity to leave the nest of
Earth. Better to take the steps we can than to despair at the size
of the project.

You can subscribe to Creating Space at
www.annaparadox.com/newsletter. And you can ask any questions you
have about my life coaching and editing services by calling me at
505-640-0979 or emailing me at anna@annaparadox.com.

I wish you the power of creating space.
Anna Paradox