Home for The Holidays, Creating Sacred Space for Ourselves and Our Families

John: You’re listening to The Present Professional, where we explore the intersections of personal and professional development.

John: To change your experience of life and work with every episode.

Tony: So tune in, grab your notebook, and let’s go. Let’s go.

John: Welcome to another episode of the present professional today. We don’t want to take up a lot of your time, but we wanted to talk about the holidays coming up and how we can start creating some sacred space for ourselves and our families go into the holidays, seeking rest, restoration and giving. and see what that looks like for each of us, what that can look like for you, and start amping up some of that holiday spirit so that you can celebrate everything that became of this year. Look back with gratitude for anything that has transpired, good or bad. And look at where you’re at right now. In a good space, a loving space, and with the present professional community. First thing we want to say is we’re super grateful for you. We’re super grateful. This is our 25th episode. Wow. It’s been an amazing year and it wouldn’t have been anything without you guys so we really appreciate you as listeners and We’re excited for what the holidays bring for us and for this community So you can all have a wonderful wonderful time resting restoring Being full of gratitude.

Tony: Yeah Man, nothing like the holidays, bringing people together. Got some cold weather, so you gotta be inside. You gotta be inside with each other, drinking some warm drinks. I mean, for me, man, I gotta say, it always brings a good sense of resetting, you know? Because you’re not only exchanging gifts and all that if you celebrate in that way, But you’re kind of exchanging love a lot of times you with people you haven’t seen in a while or people are coming into town You got the the Christmas movies on TV, you know, if you watch that, you know You got all these great things happening But most importantly you’re around the people hopefully around the people that you love the most or that you cherish the most I mean for for me and in my family, you know, I’d say that I what has kind of shifted for us, I say it all the time, is us being, my wife and I being parents now, and it’s like, it’s kind of like what I predicted. Everybody comes to us now, so. And they coming to see us, they coming to see our son, and you know, that’s good. They bring a lot of good energy, of course, great gifts, too many to count, but it’s a great feeling. And I’m excited because this season of Christmas, he can actually, Enjoy it and the last time he was maybe like six or seven months. I can’t remember but he wasn’t really in a place to Understand what was happening. He couldn’t even rip rip the paper off of his gifts. I was a end of the tree but this year man, it’s gonna be guns blazing and Who knows what to expect?

John: Right man, I can. I can only imagine. And I’ve actually been traveling back to Pittsburgh for the holidays for man every year. I don’t. I haven’t missed. I haven’t missed a single holiday season. In Pittsburgh. Ever. So I’ve been flying back and spending that time with my mom, my parents, my grandparents, you know, my friends. My friends and I have a wonderful tradition with all the guys. We call it the bromis, actually. It’s a wonderful, wonderful Christmas party. And, you know, we all exchange gifts and it really helps keep us all together with, you know, it’s one thing that that the wives understand that it’s one day a year that all the guys get together and there’s no excuses. We run out a little place, exchange gifts, have a good time, catch up. And then, you know, everyone kind of goes back to their thing. So that’s another thing that comes up for the holidays for me is tradition. And. Traditions are something that, it’s interesting, something that we hold onto, something that helps us feel like we really are who we are, you know? It’s like, let us get back to our roots, let us get back to staying together. For us, it’s there just as a standing point for us to remain friends, brothers, same thing that traditions that we have going on in our family as well. That’s usually dinner at grandma’s and more extended family on the next day, on Christmas Day. Whatever traditions that you guys have coming up and Maybe if you’re thinking about skipping one or they’re not as important this year or something like that, make a new one. Traditions are fun. Again, it’s like creating that sacred space. That’s how I feel about traditions. It’s sacred. Not secret, sacred.

Tony: Man, I always feel like Christmas time is like the heart of the year. Like the whole year, this is the time where it’s like nobody’s doing any work. People are working, don’t get me wrong, especially frontline workers and people that can’t necessarily take off, emergency workers and those folks in those occupations. Major thank you to all the people that are working during the holidays. But as far as being a present professional and most likely listening to John and I every week, you get a chance to have a break. And in that break, your customers or clients, they’re probably breaking too. So it’s a perfect time to break bread with the people that matter the most. And that’s what I mean by that heart of the year. It’s kind of like that one soft spot of the year where you gotta You kind of got to sit down. You can plan ahead and forge ahead using especially the last two episodes we did in these past couple weeks with goal setting. But after you set the goals and after you got your plan and after you sit in there and you’re like, I’m ready for January, you got to take that time between Christmas and New Year’s to just like Really just smile man and have fun. This is the one time of year where it’s like no pressure You know unless you are NBA fan and you’re watching your favorite team like me. I’ll be watching the Lakers Probably lose again, but you know, that’s okay because I still love them But you know, it’s that sacred time like you said man, and I love I love this time I always have a tradition of just taking off for two weeks. No matter what I’m doing whether it’s work school business clients, customers, coaching, no matter what it is, I am off for two weeks always around Christmas and New Year’s just so I can have that time for me. I probably don’t even go to the barbershop. I just let my hair grow. I don’t care. It’s just a fun time to wear matching pajamas and I make an amazing caramel apple spice. I know it’s amazing because the recipe is from Starbucks. So I can’t go wrong, you know what I mean? So I got this recipe, or this idea from a friend of mine, Carl, shout out to Carl Hayes. And he put me on the drink. He said, you gotta drink this drink from Starbucks. It’s not coffee, you wanna switch up. It’s not tea either, it’s called caramel apple spice. And it’s basically like a caramel apple juice kind of thing. And it’s so good, and I make it every year. Super sweet, it does have a lot of sugar. So if you gotta stay away from sugar, then this ain’t the drink for you, but it’s got brown sugar, regular sugar, and you make a little dulce syrup, and it’s warm, it’s just, mm, can’t wait to drink it tomorrow.

John: i need to be working for starbucks the way i just advertised that drink but yeah man what’s your we got you got any holiday traditions that you like bring to the table or you like maybe even a game that you bring or something oh man so the the buckeyes that my grandma makes i’d like to say that you know i like to say that i contribute more than i actually do but she really makes them they’re you know peanut butter balls or buckeyes she’ll make She’ll pull out a whole bag from the freezer like, oh, I set these aside for you. There’s like 50 of them. I’m like, what do you mean for me? Just for, we got to share these. And that’s just kind of like what, you know, what, what grandmas do. Right. And, um, It’s been so those so those are always there. And it’s always one of the it becomes one of those things where it’s like there’s so many of them that it’s like breakfast, dessert, lunch, dessert, dinner, dessert for that week. And yeah, I love those things. I’m trying to think if there’s really anything else food-wise, not much that I contribute, but something similar to the, something similar to that apple spice is the just warm apple cider with like cinnamon stick in it, cooked on the stove, like heated up on the stove. Men like you, right? Man, I love that. Men like you. I love that. And then yeah, there’s, I’m trying to think, My one uncle used to make this wine, actually, and it was hardly wine. It was more brandy. And I remember my grandma and her sisters were all sitting around having a small glass of it. It’s like, oh, it’s so good. It kind of tastes like juice. It’s even sweeter and tastier than wine. Then it’s like a couple of glasses later, they’re all cracking up, faces getting all red. happy juice yeah how many glasses that you have oh that was a that was a great time man so many good memories around the holidays and you got to be excited to make some more and i’m curious tony uh how much like your role has changed going into the holidays, like as as a parent?

Tony: Well, yeah, you know, it’s been a good change. So we recently we lost one of my aunts and she was the big holiday convener. Aunt Ruby, she really held us together when it came down the holiday. She’s the Thanksgiving dessert champion. So, you know, losing her you know we have a huge void and so for thanksgiving we hosted thanksgiving last month and we really wanted to open up our our new home to our family to bring everybody together and you know it’s been a great change now i’m the Menu guy so I get all the menus together see you like what everybody’s bringing making sure you know I’m ham I’m basically the COO, you know of Thanksgiving and Christmas kind of thing now I guess CEO because I’m the one in charge, but Now I get a chance to fry the turkey. So for Thanksgiving, I fry the turkey for Christmas It’s more about just making sure that everybody gets a chance to come together. My wife’s family. They’re super big on Christmas, so we’ll be getting together, of course. And mine, you know, we’re a little older on my side, so it’s more of like, hey, you know, don’t forget about bringing something for Logan. Not that they would, of course, but it’s more just like getting that Christmas spirit going and having us just create even new traditions now that we have little kids again on my side, because it’s been a while. But yeah, man, my role has definitely changed, and it’s a good change because I get a chance to step into a season of growth. Growth as a man, growth as a family man, and being that person that can be a glue guy for the family to just bring everybody together. So I love it. It’s good.

John: Man, I love that. I’d say you’re definitely a glue guy.

Tony: Hey, whatever brings people together, man.

John: I’m always about that, right? I like to be the same for my family and friends as well. And just make sure that we that we have those traditions. We keep him going. And you know, challenges and things may come up along the way, and that’s that’s fine. But it’s really like this is what it’s all about. What’s all for when it comes down to it? You know, connections, the strongest thing. That makes life worth living for. Right? Like having that connection and being able to like share yourself authentically with it. Right? It’s like they, you know, these are people that accept you in any form. And that is just priceless. And, you know, I also want to just take a moment to say, like, you know, how blessed we are to be able to say that. Right. And for, you know, those that might be out there, you know, struggling with that or, you know, feeling a sense of disconnection or anything like that, you know, we’re we want to hold space for you and know that, you know, there is there is something out there for you there’s a deeper relationship also inside each of us so to even take a little bit of that time to you know whatever religion or belief that you have like this sacred time at the holidays like use it to connect to someone something that you can always be connected to that you can always reach and Right having gratitude for that spiritual or in-depth relationship that you’re starting to build within yourself and And I think that that’s just as important as the time that you spend with your family, is spending some time connected to that more sacred relationship within yourself. And through that, being able to be there for others as well. So I think it’s also a fantastic time to be there for those that are less fortunate, to Be able to give back to your communities, whether that be gifts or jackets or gloves or your time. You know, I think it’s it can be a super impactful time to go and spend some time there. giving back to your community.

Tony: One thing that COVID has taught, I think all of us to a degree, I know me certainly, is that people matter. And as we enter into a season of Christmas and just kind of New Year’s and you see the marketing that takes place and the here comes capitalism kind of, you know, right into the fold of the hearts of the people. Don’t make Christmas in this time about that. You know, it’s not about just the gifts and what you receive and even what you give. Make it about love. If you are a religious person, then you know that this season is about love and it’s about the birth of Jesus. And so for those that, you may be wondering, where exactly, if I don’t have family, if I don’t have anything to hold on to, what is this, what’s the point? Find your point. and let that love kind of marinate in your heart. And, you know, with COVID happening and kind of wreaking havoc across the nation and across the world, more importantly, these are times that are going really quick, evaporating fast. People are leaving this planet every day. You look around and you hear celebrities gone or you hear even someone you know is gone or someone that someone that you someone that knows someone that knows someone you can see it on social media man wow you know young people older people babies you know so take this time to reflect and and find the love in your heart to forgive people that may have wronged you or done things to you or said things about you. This is the time to reset and repurge your heart as you walk into the new year. So you got all these goals that you want to accomplish. I promise you it’s much sweeter when you walk into the year with a purified heart. Find forgiveness in your heart for people find that love walk into 2023 with a fresh perspective and then Go kill it and watch how much sweeter it is

John: How sweet it is. Thank you guys for being listeners. We’re so grateful for you as a community. And again, find that love that connection, spend some time unwinding and gearing up for the new year, where we’ll be right back to support you with more and more episodes of the present professional. Reach us anywhere you find your podcasts. Please rate us and review us and check into the presentprofessionalpodcast.com to find other ways to interact with us. Much love. Happy holidays. Take care of my friends.