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Happy-Gourmand

It really is a wonderful life

True Christmas spirit

I could not help this week but to be inspired by our one seasonal outing—we attended Kelowna Actor’s Studio’s production of It’s a Wonderful Life.

George Bailey could easily be a character in today’s world. He has his heart in the right place and he tries to do the right thing. But he gets worn out from a series of unlucky incidents. He begins to feel like perhaps it’s not worth trying anymore. Sound familiar?

Not everyone meets their guardian angel like George meets Clarence, but I am a firm believer that we all have someone looking out for us, and that we can all be that angel for someone.

This time of year is our best time for conditioning those muscles.

Hubbie and I were planning to share Christmas with family in the Lower Mainland. We booked a night in the Bavarian-inspired Leavenworth, WA to make the southern route (to the Lower Mainland via Washington State) a full holiday experience. Hubbie was going to cook dinner for 12, our first big holiday in more a decade.

But well, these days we have learned how to pivot like never before. With the latest news and advisories, we instead packed boxes to send the gifts we planned to deliver in person and sent instructions for cooking the food we won’t be able to share.

I shall read my granddaughter “The Night Before Christmas” by the light of a screen.

Of course I will miss these experiences. But pining for them doesn’t make me feel better. I will instead focus my energy on sharing little things here as Christmas approaches. Things like making sure I smile behind my mask at store clerks and those I pass on the street. Donating where I can to local causes—warm clothes for the shelters, food for the Food Bank, time with my volunteer groups. That makes me feel better, knowing I can help other people feel better too.

It might sound corny but angel Clarence was right. Every person touches so many other lives as they live their own life. It doesn’t take great feats to make a difference in the world. Something as simple as a smile can change everything. It reminds us to be hopeful.

Whether that smile comes from sharing a coffee (even if it’s over Zoom) or from sharing your smile and twinkling eyes with a stranger, each one sends a spark that can fuel a soul.

I encourage every one of us to fire up those sparks this year and shine brightly as we celebrate this holiday season. No one needs to feel alone.

Clarence told us the secret at the end of the story. His last bit of wisdom was his most profound: “No man is a failure who has friends.”

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.



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About the Author

Kristin Peturson-Laprise is a customer experience specialist by trade, which means she is someone passionate about people having a good time. 

Her company, Wow Service Mentor, helps businesses enhance their customer experience through hands-on training, service programs, and special event coordination.

Kristin enjoys her own experiences too, and that is what she writes about in this column. She and her husband Martin Laprise (also known as Chef Martin, of The Chef Instead) love to share their passion for food and entertaining.  

Kristin says:

"Wikipedia lists a gourmand as a person who takes great pleasure in food. I have taken the concept of gourmandise, or enjoying something to the fullest, in all parts of my life. I love to grow and cook food, and I loved wine enough to become a Sommelier. I call a meal a success when I can convey that 'sense of place' from where the food has come . . . the French call that terroir, but I just call it the full experience. It might mean tasting the flavours of my own garden, or transporting everyone at the table to a faraway place, reminiscent of travels or dreams we have had."

 

E-mail Kristin at:  [email protected]

Check out her website here:  www.wowservicementor.com

 



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The views expressed are strictly those of the author and not necessarily those of Castanet. Castanet does not warrant the contents.

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