elephant’s Top 10 Must-Buy Holiday Gift List.
Consume, Consume! It’s elephant journal’s long-awaited Must-Get Things to Buy for Christmas List.
What to get for someone who has everything.
1. Nothing.
Why buy anything? Will more stuff make you happier?
2. You’ve been looking for it all your life and it’s right here. Right here is boring, hard, lonely.
3. But just sit. Do nothing. Keep your eyes soft, open. We’re not shutting out thoughts. We’re not shutting out anything. If you notice yourself thinking, just notice the thought, and return to the present moment.
4. If you can’t find the present moment, rest your attention on the breath. In, pause, out, pause. Or perhaps more realistically; in, thought, pause, thought, out, thought, pause, thought…. Just come back to the breath. Come back to your relaxed, upright sitting posture.
5. Come back to nothing.
6. Come back to yourself. Loneliness is your only friend. Loneliness is good, true, honest, deliciously sad and romantic.
7. Breathe.
8. When you’re ready to stop, give a little bow to the sky, to yourself, to the earth. A little bow. No big deal.
9. …
10.
{adapted from Product Review: Nothing: Autumn 2005 elephant magazine}
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I FREAKING LOVE THIS. I am sending it to my whole family. THANK YOU. I feel a little bit like I can breathe into the holidays for the first time this year. Thank you for finally saying this. It needed to be said.
One of the best consumer articles I've read in a long while.
I sent this to my family as well, we started the tradition of a no-present christmas 2 years ago and only select charities to give to. Its true that more stuff will not make you happier
THIS IS PERFECT dear Way!
Brilliant as always – WRAP THAT! (-:"
This says so much in so few words. I followed the links and learned more. Then, to top it off, I read the Satchel Paige story on wikipedia. Talk about resilience!
Very brave. Very green. Very true.
Fabulous!!!
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What a fabulous Present…I love it. Thanks for nothing. Namaste'.
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OK- You nailed that!