In this “unprecedented” time, maybe we look to celebrate an “unprecedented” holiday season.  As I wrote last week – we get to choose.  As much as I try not avoid the materialistic culture that surrounds the Christmas and the holiday season, I’m not a complete Scrooge.  I enjoy gift-giving… and receiving… as much as anyone else.  But I also aim to make the gifts I share somewhat meaningful.  So I thought I would share some of the more meaningful things I came across this year, in case you’d like to share them with those you love.

If you’ve read anything from me over the past few months, you know I appreciate the work of Johann Hari.  He’s got some great things coming next year, but these two pieces rank in my favorite books of all time.  But I will warn you, both left me a little depressed through the reading, but ended with very uplifting notes – very motivating and meaningful endings.

I’ve been a fan of Fr. Richard Rohr’s daily meditations from the Center for Action & Contemplation for quite a while, and finally dipped my toe into his larger body of works just a few months ago.  They did not disappoint.  Adam’s Return is a great suggestion for any man wrestling with his spirituality.  I’ve only started On the Threshold in the past few weeks, but it gives me a lot to think about every few days – until typical “daily meditation” books, this one encourages you to take your time to consider the writing, rather than dutifully reading each day and maybe forgetting…

Looking for a comfortable place to read, think, or meditate?  Get a hammock.  I’ve had one for outside for over a decade and take it with me most places I go.  I just set this one for in my basement.  Best investment I made this year.

Have you discovered your Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) Personality Profile to get a better understanding of how you related to others, work, and life in general?  (If not, we should definitely talk about that!)  If you want to dive deeper into your personality preferences, this original work from Isabel Briggs Myers is a great starting point.

One of the first, one of the most thorough, and one of the newest (in that order) resources on Viktor Frankl’s Logotherapy.

Finally, I am a huge supporter of our military veterans, active duty soldiers, sailors, and airmen (and woman), as well as their families.  I have many friends, family, peers, acquaintances, and clients working hard to take care of our ‘affairs’ both foreign and domestic.  I have dedicated much of my career to learning how to best support and help them, as well as learn more about our rich military history.  These are just a few of the pieces I dove into this past year – if this kind of thing interests you, or those you are giving gifts to, I highly recommend each one of these works.  I was impacted differently by each one.

This is the powerful story of The Horse Soldiers – the first group of Special Forces operators to go into Afghanistan after September 11, 2001.  There is a statue commemorating their sacrifices in Liberty Park, New York City.   I’m not embarrassed to say the book (I listened on Audible) made me tear up with pride and sadness.  The movie was a necessary follow-up to the book, but definitely not as good.

I’ve always been a bit of a WWII history buff. I return to Band of Brothers and related works often.  Here are a few I read this past year.

               (Resilience is really about WWII… but you should still read it!)

Have a happy, healthy, and meaningful Holiday Season!  – Dan