Baby Boomer Talk Online

For you I have condensed it down to what I call the Power 3s saving you time.

"If you haven't any charity in your heart, you have the worst kind of heart trouble."

~Bob Hope

Whether Santa is real or not really doesn't matter, as he has been endowed with some remarkable qualities that we can all learn from. In fact, in many ways, he is better able to show us true spirituality than even the average guru.

1. He asks us to be good.

This is significant considering many of us so often act selfishly and greedily. By being good he means being kind, generous, considerate and thoughtful.

He gives to everyone, whoever and wherever they are, all at pretty much the same time. And he does it without asking for anything in return (except for the odd glass of milk and cookies). This indicates he has a truly generous heart, one that takes great joy in giving without needing to receive, which is a very important lesson, as giving with no expectation of getting is the quickest route to happiness. Through giving to others, à la Santa, we get away from selfishness and neediness.

2. He has no need for recognition.

He seems to have psychic abilities, flies in the sky with reindeer, descends chimneys without getting covered in soot and goes by many names and forms, all while remaining extraordinarily elusive. Has anyone actually ever seen him? The lesson here is that we can all do more than we think we can, and we don't need to be applauded. We can practice random acts of kindness quietly, simply, without bringing attention to ourselves.

3. He's filled with joy and lifts our spirits at the darkest time.

We can do the same for each other. There's no need to spread doom and gloom or focus on what is wrong with ourselves or the world. By focusing on what is good we not only bring a lightness of spirit to others, but we also get to feel a lot better, too.

As Winston Churchill said, "We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give."