Happy Holidays! (And we do mean all the holidays.)

I was one of those kids who really liked the Back to School season. The school supplies, the clean start to a new school year, the books, the weather change. Then came my birthday, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Eve. 

Maybe that's why it was never a challenge for me to say, or hear, "Happy Holidays." It always seemed like a great way to scoop all those happy times together and just wish happiness. 

As I grew up and my world got bigger, I realized my Canadian friends had Thanksgiving on a different day. My British friends had "Mothering Sunday," and not on "Mother's Day." I met people who celebrated Christmas, but very differently from my family's traditions. I met Jewish friends who celebrated Hanukkah, or even both Hanukkah and Christmas. 

Today, we can easily see into the everyday lives of people all over the world. We can eat foods, see art, hear music, from all the cultures. There are apps (as well as old-fashioned books) that will help us learn just about any language we care to try out. Most importantly, most beautifully, we can encounter this profuse variety very close to us. We don't have to travel around the globe in person or via our devices. We live close to each other. Really close. And that is our strength and our challenge.

Life Lab Notes hopes you find joy, peace, and prosperity today. Whatever you're celebrating today. Also, tomorrow. And here's to a really excellent next Thursday. Happy Holidays. Happy all-your-days.