I find it magical how life has a way of lining up perfectly to teach us something when we need it most. Friday night, that’s exactly what happened when I finally got to see “A Christmas Carol” at the Old Globe Theatre – a play I’d waited years to see.

I was so excited about finally seeing this play that I dove deep into anything I could learn about the story. By chance, I stumbled upon a micro-course about Charles Dickens and the deeper message behind his classic story.

What fascinated me most was discovering that when he wrote it in 1843, during the Industrial Revolution, the world was experiencing changes noticeably similar to today.

Just as AI and technology are rapidly transforming our world now, the rise of machines was dramatically changing life then, creating incredible wealth for some while leaving others struggling to survive.

Dickens, deeply troubled by this divide, would walk through London’s neighborhoods, sometimes 20 miles a day, seeing firsthand how families and children were barely getting by. His fictional tale was far more than just a ghost story – it was his way of holding a mirror to society.

Dickens understood something I’ve learned in my years of energy healing work – we’re divinely wired to feel empathy and connection with each other. It’s our natural state.

When Dickens witnessed the suffering in London’s streets, he knew he needed to help others feel that natural connection again. But he also understood how difficult it can be for people to hear uncomfortable truths.

Our nervous system is quite clever about keeping our hearts safe – it creates this incredibly dense filtering system, like having an overprotective bodyguard on duty 24/7.

When we’ve been hurt before, this defense system gets even stronger, not just blocking out pain but also our natural ability to feel deeply for others. It’s not trying to hurt us – it’s just doing its job maybe a little too well.

That’s why storytelling is so powerful. While our minds can easily brush off statistics and dry facts, a good story catches us off guard. It finds its way to our hearts while our mental bodyguard isn’t looking.

It’s fascinating that Scrooge himself perfectly demonstrates this – a man who turned his mind into the ultimate bodyguard, blocking out everything and everyone that might make him feel vulnerable.

So, there I was, all excited and ready to see this classic tale come to life. I’d talked it up to my daughter, who rushed straight from work to join me. The Old Globe is this gorgeous intimate theater where every seat gives you a perfect view. But when I walked in, my heart sank. Instead of the elaborate set I was expecting, there was just… a parquet floor, a stool, a glass, a pitcher of water, and a tiny red book with gold lettering.

This would not be the full-cast production I’d imagined. This was a one-man show. My mind quickly went into panic mode: “Oh great, my daughter’s going to hate this… I looked around at all the others in the theatre. Did everyone else know this was a one-man show? Should I have known? Did I order the wrong tickets? Maybe we can leave at intermission….” Looking back, I can see how quickly my own mental bodyguard stepped in to keep me from feeling disappointed.

Then belly laughs from the audience and my daughter woke me up from my spiral of worry.  Hearing her laugh made everything better. I thought, “Okay, my daughter’s enjoying this, these people are loving this play… I guess I can too.” I let myself settle down, engage, and just be there.

When I stopped fighting what I thought the play should be, something powerful happened.

Without fancy sets, costumes, and a big cast of actors, I had to use my own imagination – a skill we rarely get to use these days. We’re so used to having everything visualized for us – through movies, social media, or AI-generated images – that we sometimes forget how to be present and create our own experience.

The holidays can be challenging for staying heart-centered. Like Scrooge, many of us have learned to become “self-contained and solitary.” getting caught up in our to-do lists and perfect gift preparations. We build walls around our hearts, thinking we’re protecting ourselves, but what are we really guarding against? The chance to be present? To feel connected? To experience joy?

This holiday season, I want to challenge us all (me included!) to notice when we’re not present – when we’re rushing through preparations, worried about getting the perfect gifts, or caught up in how things “should” be. The real gift we can give ourselves and others is so simple: it’s being here, now, fully present.

For me, it took an unexpected one-man show to remember this. What might it be for you?

As Dickens himself wrote: “I have always thought of Christmas time as…the only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely.”

….. until next time many many sweet blessings.Until next time, many many sweet blessings.