When I brainstormed about what to gift my family for Christmas, my answer combined my filmmaking aspirations with sound bath healing. This was my fourth year in a row to observe non-materialistic Christmas gift-giving.
“Abundance” featured in the film. The more I meditated, I realized that every situation could be reframed with abundance in mind. For example, one of my favorite gifts to myself, especially during the holiday season, is an abundance of unscheduled time whenever I take paid leave from work.
Apparently, this time around, I took too much paid time off. Weeks after the fact, I learned that paid time off (PTO) taken in 2025 wouldn’t be covered by accrued PTO in 2026. At least I benefited from a wonderful Christmas-Kwanzaa break with the luxury of time.
I started the new year off with a smaller paycheck than usual. The exact opposite of financial abundance. Yet, I reframed that experience to “I paid for my latest staycation.” Besides, with my new position, I had to work on MLK Day. A situation that helped recoup some of the money I’d lost since working holidays have a pay rate of two and a half times.
Another instance of abundance occurred when I discovered that I had to record 15 hours of me teaching yoga as part of the 200-hour yoga instructor certification, starting in mid-February. Our house was still under renovation, but even before that, I didn’t have a distraction-free area to record my instruction.
Much to my annoyance, I had to reach out to other people. Yet, I received an abundance of support. The first was from the yoga teacher who’d sent me the link to sign up for the course. The second was from my stretch and flex teacher who also owned a hair salon where we could set up and practice. Finally, my pole dancing teacher, who also owned the studio, agreed to let me use the auxiliary room on Sundays when no classes were scheduled.
All I had to do was ask.
Then, without asking, my car insurance inexplicably decreased by $50 for six months’ coverage. Plus, I’d forgotten that after being at my gym for three years that I’d be able to pay a flat annual fee, saving me over $500 a year.
I’d been raised to count my blessings. As an adult, I’m thankful that I’ve learned the lesson of how abundance interacts with those blessings. Blessings are the wonderful things in your life. Being aware of abundance in these situations is to be mindful that those wonderful things are enough.