Calvin Coolidge, the 30th President of the United States once said, “Christmas is not a time nor a season, but a state of mind. It's a time to cherish peace and goodwill, and to be generous in mercy. This is the real spirit of Christmas.” Like everything else in life, traditions reflect our beliefs which determine our state of mind. If you want to experience peace and goodwill during this Holiday season, then stop resisting thoughts of positivity and joy that are around us, all the time. Make a point of leaving your heart and mind open to the goodness that abounds. Tune into what you are feeling and if it is not to your liking, change it. It's as simple as that. A positive outlook does not just benefit you; it benefits everyone you encounter, thereby literally changing the world. 
 
Years ago, when I was working my first job at the ripe age of fourteen, I encountered a situation I have never forgotten. For one thing, it was absurdly strange, but here’s how things went down. I was a busboy in a restaurant and was totally green in relation to the work world. So, one day while grabbing some rolls for a table, the dishwasher who was a year or two older than me, looked at me sternly and said, “What is your problem?” I said, “I don’t have a problem. What do you mean?” He said, “You are always smiling. What’s with that?” I was so taken by his comment that I was speechless, so I just grabbed my rolls and went on my way. 
 
I would say that the moral of today’s post about peace and goodwill is that we can’t control what other people think, say, or do. All we can control is our own state of mind and emotional state as well. As fate would have it, I ran into the dishwasher some 20+ years later. He had become a veterinarian at the clinic where we took our family dog. I immediately knew who he was, but he didn’t have a clue as to who I was. What was funny is that he hadn’t grown an inch since then, and I had. After having gone there for years, I decided to say something about how we used to work together. It was hilarious! The priceless look he had on his face as I was telling the name of the restaurant, the time-period, etc., was one for the ages. Sure, I could have made it hard on him seeing how I was the customer and all, but I decided to take the high road and opt for peace and goodwill. It was the Holidays after all. 
 
We all have a choice. We can either choose to be a spectator and get what we get, or we can rise above and become so engulfed in a better way that we forget what we were disillusioned about to begin with. Remember President Coolidge’s message that the Holidays are not a time or season, but a state of mind. Choose peace and goodwill. Happy Holidays!