Recently, Jimmy Kimmel gave parent’s a mission:  Let their kids unwrap one special present before Christmas and give them something they would not like.  He asked parents to upload a video labeled “Hey Jimmy Kimmel I gave my kids a terrible present.”  The videos were hilarious and the kids were surprised and shocked by the opening of what they perceived an exciting present from Santa.  Comments ranged from I don’t like this. . .an old banana? . . . I don’t want an onion. . .this is the worst gift ever. . . I appreciate her getting a present but I didn’t know it would be like that. . . .   Have you ever found yourself thinking these thoughts when the presents of life show up?

In our family my niece gave her daughter Madison a bottle of mustard.  Madison detests mustard.  As the family watched Madison open the gift via Skype, Madison’s dismay was clear and obvious.  She threw the gift and stormed around the room.  The adults got quite a big kick out of it.  The moment subsided and the real gift opening ensued. Madison’s gift opening style resembles law enforcement executing a search warrant.  As she riffled through the packages, throwing each gift hastily aside as she continued to open in a cavalier fashion.   I doubt she will remember anything she opened that morning, except the mustard.  Not only will she remember the mustard, our family will have a story to share for many Christmas’s to come.

It is these moments of uniqueness that we remember over and over.  They are not lost in the obligatory celebrations of drinking and ball dropping that we blindly walk through year after year.   As I wrote in my blog post yesterday a component missing from our celebrations is symbolism of the newness the turning of the clock represents.  It is when you find yourself in a moment which is not planned and seemingly unceremonious that magic happens.

The turning of the clock last night presented one of those magic moments last night.  After several hours at a local street celebration, my friend Carole and I found ourselves at an Arco gas station at two minutes till midnight.  As we hastily punched the radio buttons to find a countdown to 2012, the only station broadcasting the momentous moment was in Spanish.  As the countdown continued,  cinco, cuatro, tres, dos, uno “¡Feliz año nuevo!”, the incongruity of the moment was both comical and perfect.  Since my new home is in Mexico it seemed fitting my New Year albeit in the states should be rung in this way.  It seemed like a gift from the universe.  This night it was my “mustard”.

We hugged and danced in the gas station for the obligatory moment and then were off to a memorable 2012.  It is when life hands us these seemingly mundane moments that we may choose to turn them into our own celebration.

Simple life moments, just as mustard, can be boring.  Or you can see the possibilities.  Mustard can be a cure for a hangover, leave a fingerprint on life, spice to a simple dish or anything you dream.  So too are your life moments.

It is in the memories that we create and hold firm to that change and mold us.  I brought in the New Year with a dear friend, had Buzz Lightyear moment and am grateful for all the gifts to come in 2012 in my new home Playa. 

Here’s the challenge for you today and the coming week.   “What is your mustard”.  Find a moment today or this week that appears to be out of place, unceremonious or just plain boring.  How can you shift your perception and create a new possibility.  How can this moment of “mustard” become a memorable and poignant gift?