I Want NOTHING for Christmas!

Alright, that might be a little misleading.  Please allow me the opportunity to explain. 

About a month ago during the firearms portion of deer season here in Missouri, I ended up hunting on opening morning of deer season by myself.  It had been a long time since I hunted by myself at least in the sense that I wouldn't be meeting up with anyone later in the day.  No hunting buddies, no kids, and no girlfriend.  I've hunted many times without the company of others, but it had been years since I truly hunted solo.  So there I was, sitting in a little pop up blind and waiting for the sun to come up.  I heard owls hooting, coyotes howling, and various critters scurrying around in the woods behind me.  Eventually, the sun started to slowly rise and there was that brief moment where the nocturnal critters and daytime varmints were all in their homes.  As my mind wandered between hoping for a big buck to walk by and how nice it would be to fall back asleep, I noticed something truly remarkable.  Nothing!

I didn't hear any animals.  There wasn't a sound of motorized vehicles.  I couldn't hear the sound of wind which is really rare where I hunt.  There wasn't the sound of a cell phone.  I couldn't even hear the sound of other people's voices.  I heard nothing...and it was a sound that I had heard in a long, long time.  At some point in the next week to ten days, that's what I would like to have as a Christmas present.  And if that's what you want as well, I hope that you are able to find nothing too.

Please don't get me wrong, I love this time of year and I am happy with my life.  I couldn't be more grateful for friends, family, a warm home, job security, and a host of other things that I could go on about but that's not the point of this post.  It's just a disclaimer.  What I mean is that the great outdoors (and I guess the indoors sometimes if that's what you're into) can offer you a time to clear your mind and a void for distractions.  This particular time of year is busy in a fun way and a certain hustle and bustle is everywhere you go.  But don't forget or neglect the chance to keep your mind straight.  Time on the water, or in the woods, or doing yoga can help you put things in perspective and find an inner peace that sometimes gets lost during this time of year.  This is the season of giving, but don't forget to give yourself a chance to meditate, take a break or whatever you want to call it.  As Robert Traver said in The Testament of a Fisherman, "Because only in the woods can I find solitude without loneliness."  And that's really saying something about nothing.