Can you believe the holidays are almost here?  Yesterday, it was summer.  The good news is, there's still time to strategize for a peaceful, more balanced season.
 
The last time I really took time to do this was late 2001, when we'd been rocked by September 11.  That year, my usual Frantic self and my Simplifying self had a standoff, and I wrote a column about the internal debate.        
 
This year, with the economy still shaky, we have another opportunity to re-think our celebrations.  Before grandma gets run over by a reindeer for the 497th time, I hope you'll try a little exercise that I dreamed up for myself and see if it works for you.
 
The idea is to remember five favorite memories from the past and extract from them the essence of what made them so great.  If finances or some other loss make them impossible to duplicate this year, what can you do instead to recapture the essence of that treasured feeling?
 
To make it easier, here's a template for you to use.  I hope you'll share your Aha! moments in The Dog Journal.