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We often hear it said you need to get your priorities right, or that person has some really messed up priorities. However, I’m not sure if that statement is exactly as simple as it sounds. Oh yeah we get the apparent face value of it, and even understand the concept in certain obvious situations; e.g… a mother is spending every nickel she receives buying lottery tickets while her two children go hungry, it’s unarguably pretty clear in the given situation that this person has a major issue with priorities.

Where it’s not as evident is in everyday situations where we think we may be simply doing what we are told. Let’s say for example your boss hands you a script to read at the noon press conference that grossly overstates company earnings for the quarter; when you bring it to his attention he replies “ I know exactly what it says…… you need to get your priorities right.” Now for the past few years that you were employed with this company you had understood their priorities to be honesty to their clients and to each other; after all that’s what the company motto states ‘honesty to our clients above all else.”  Now here’s where things begin to get a little hazy and when our “personal” priorities start to really matter. Now on one hand we could just do what our boss had asked and read the inaccurate numbers as we were told. However, maybe you tell your kids all the time that honesty is the best policy, and deep inside you truly believe that; so if you read the statement that your boss wants you to read as is, you’d feel like a hypocrite to your kids, and more importantly to yourself. Because your children are your number one priority and you do believe in telling the truth, you can’t in good consciousness accommodate your boss’s request.

Our priorities will always be in whatever order and to whatever degree that those people, places, and or things are valued in our life. The boss in this particular situation didn’t fully understand that you already had your priorities in order, while his may have been with the company and saving his job, yours were with your family and your own personal integrity. It’s a good thing to have our priorities firmly in place, as our life and the daily choices we make become much easier when we know and understand the deeper reasons for each of them.

Yours in health and healing,

Sam

With the New Year fast upon us, and Christmas less than two weeks away, I am inevitably forced to take account of my “generosity” or lack of for this year, and evaluate the needed changes for the coming new one. Although there are many beautiful and skillfully-wrapped gifts in the spare bedroom waiting to be delivered to family and friends that makes me feel “generous,” I can’t help but think that within two weeks after these gifts have been opened, most will end up either being taken back to the store of purchase, (that’s the purpose of gift receipts) or abandoned altogether never to be touched again.

Which leaves me with the question; namely, what gift do I give to the people that I care about that will impact their lives and make a difference? Now of course there is not a one size fits all answer to this question, as people are all different and each has his individual tastes with various likes and dislikes, and what about product availability…..blah, blah, blah! Then it hit me …. the reason why this is so very difficult to do, is because the gift I’m trying to give that will impact another’s life, isn’t something that can be bought, wrapped and put under a tree at all; but the gift of one’s very self, and the friendship and companionship that go along with that giving. It’s the time taken to listen to a friend in crisis, or time spent taking your mother to the grocery store knowing that this will most likely be an all day event. It’s helping your neighbor remove the snow from his driveway when your blowers down and all you have is a shovel…yikes. It’s all the aforementioned things as well as a thousand other little things you do on a consistent basis throughout the year that truly impacts another’s life, as well as make a difference.

Now I’m not advocating boycotting Christmas gifts this year, scaling back ….maybe, but I think the most generous and best gift you can give to anyone, especially those most dear to our hearts, is the gift of yourself; and don’t worry Christmas will still come. As the Dr. Seuss classic How the Grinch stole Christmas so eloquently put it “It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags. And he puzzled and puzzled ’till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before. What if Christmas, he thought, doesn’t come from a store? What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more?” Ah yes the Grinch finally got it, and so should we.

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

 Sam

Now that the summer solstice is officially upon us, and frankly after the long cold arctic blast we had  this year in the northeast, I’m… well let’s just say more than a little excited to see and feel the sunshine again. It’s not that I dislike the winter season; (besides the endless gray skies, cold rain showers, and relentless snow) it’s just that it’s so refreshing to finally be able to walk outside in my bare feet, without wearing my usual Eskimo garb. As Ada Louise Huxtable so eloquently put it; “Summer is the time when one sheds one’s tensions with one’s clothes, and the right kind of day is jeweled balm for the battered spirit.  A few of those days and you can become drunk with the belief that all’s right with the world.”  

 Personally I couldn’t agree more with Ada‘s sentiments on the subject, especially the last part that reads “a few of those days and you can become drunk with the belief that all’s right with the world.” It’s without question so very easy to get absorbed by the warmth of the sun, become enveloped in the lush green foliage that encompasses the landscape; and dazed by the myriad of outdoor activities to do (both essential and non-essential) that we develop a tunnel vision that sees only one thing…us. Now please don’t misunderstand me, I’m not against enjoying any of the aforementioned activities, as a matter of fact I overindulge in all of them probably more than most.

No, rather what I want us to foster while we are enjoying the summer solstice and all its trimmings, is a genuine sense of gratitude; a thankfulness that transcends mere words, and pierces through to awaken our consciousness. It is only in this state of heightened awareness that we can fully see beyond ourselves and into the lives of others, giving thanks for all that we have physically, emotionally and spiritually. We can indeed both be aware of the fact that all is most definitely not right with the world, however through my gratefulness; I and we are now positioned to acknowledge this truth and then move to do something about it.

So the next time you’re outside grilling your favorite summertime edibles, be sure to take in a deep aroma of gratitude along with the mesquite smoked flavorings, and see how much better your food not only tastes, but digests….all heartburn free!

 Until next time…Yours in health and healing,

Sam

Keeping the creative self alive is essential to our overall health and well-being. In saying this, I’ve compiled a short list of things that you can start doing today to get you started:

1. Get into a daily routine of listening to your favorite music as you are visualizing your day. Do this in the morning before your day even begins to unfold.

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With most employers trying to get everything out of their employees that they can, and most employees feeling stressed and overworked, a corporate wellness program may very well be just what the doctor ordered. Corporate wellness program you ask? What exactly is that? Let me explain. A corporate wellness program is a daily or weekly program that incorporates activities such as breathing exercises, guided meditations and affirmations, massage, stretching and other physical activities for the sole benefit of maintaining a healthier and more productive workforce.

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