FLOAT . . .

Back in my working days, we had a "floating holiday"--our choice of a day off that would help us get through some thorny patch of too-much-to-do. Or whatever.

Some people took their birthday. Nowadays this would be called a ME-day. But back then, it was just "my birthday."

The "floating" part was especially nice. I got to choose whatever day I wanted off. There were some limitations, though--we couldn't use our floating day to extend a long weekend (Thanksgiving weekend, for example) or to add to our annual week or two weeks of vacation. But the big advantages were enough.

A floating holiday meant:

• a day off during regular working hours so we could get to the license branch, the bank, the post office, other county or municipal offices
• we could go out of town to visit family or friends on a weekday
• we could do all kinds of errands during daytime (and maybe day light) hours that would normally have to be done after work; winter meant probably getting home 'way after dark.

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So that's the "historic" connection.

Today--here we are at mid-December . . . people are starting to count down to Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, a party, a school program, maybe a wedding . . . anyway, it's Counting Down Time.

It's probably, for a lot of people, Big-Time-Stress Time. So, why not float?

Take a floating day for yourself. (Think of it as a gift to yourself, that no one else can give you. How's that for special?)

Here are a few guidelines:

• doesn't have to be a full day
• you can take a few hours or half a day
• you can use the time for yourself, or for someone you care about, someone who needs help or just needs company
• you don't have to tell anybody about it if you don't want to

Not sure what you'd do? Here are some suggestions:

• go by yourself to a mall or shopping area or specialty shop; spend as long as you like there, whether or not you buy something
• take yourself out for lunch (or breakfast, or afternoon tea)
• spend some time in a nice park; there may be other people there, but you don't have to be social (really!); or, be social if that floats your boat
• read a book you've been wanting to try. Even if you only get through a chapter or two, you'll know if you want to continue once the holiday rush is over.
• listen to music you like--Christmas? Not Christmas? Jazz? Baroque? Piano/organ? Vocals? Choral groups?
• watch a movie you like--you know, the ones nobody else in the family will watch or the ones they make fun of. (This is your day, remember. Do what tickles your fancy.)

If you use up only half a day, schedule the other half for another time. Before or after the current holidays. Doesn't matter. It's a floating day.

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Feel better? Sometimes just knowing we have a choice helps lower the stress level.

And if you're not stressed? Bless you! Share some of yourself with people who need it.

Next week we'll celebrate the Winter Solstice. In the meantime, be blessed, take care of yourself and others, and take a deep breath. 

Thursday's Child