Christmas Fever

I love this time of the year & it isn't because there is no stress. Quite the opposite in fact. What do we buy for Johnny or oops we gave to much to Jill & now we have to buy something else for carol. We need baked goods for 12 people & 50 cards for the rest of our friends but we always forget somebody & then as if waiting to see if they get something first, a card shows up the day before Christmas & its to late to send out a card without looking like these friends are an after thought.
we spend to much, we eat to much, we stress to much about where Bill will sit at the table because nobody like his poor eating habits or bad attitude.
Oh yes, these thing do happen & if you are reading this & act like you don't know what I am talking about, you are delusional & completely disconnected from the events around you. Hmmmm this may be the way to be, delusional?
As those who know me have figured out, I used made up names to protect myself & that is because I know that if I used real names & real situations (wink), I would be very stressed out come Christmas day, when nobody would talk to me.
With this little expose of the joys of Christmas, how on earth can I love this time of year so much? Well lets look at it. We are all in the same boat, so for the 2nd day next to Thanksgiving, we all know what each other is doing & become part of this world wide fraternity, where we are all connected in one common cause. We may do it differently & there are some who aren't participating but the majority of people get into this & we are one.
people smile more, they laugh & talk, it is great. You go to the store & people are singing or chatting it up about new recipes or who is coming over for Christmas. We want to know how each other celebrates Christmas & we share our tricks for how to get out of some of the family gatherings we should go to. Some celebrate Christmas eve with one family & then Christmas day with another. Some do both in one day & some can only swing one. Some don't go anywhere & choose to stay home & relax on this one of very few days off in a year. I love to hear what some people do for traditional events. I know people that go blow the crap out of things with shotguns every year & although I am into blowing stuff up, with the cost of bullets or shotgun shells because of Obamas mission to eliminate guns, I am not spending the money to shoot anything that isn't attacking me or my family. There are families that do a crossword puzzle every Christmas, play games, go to movies, go to church or have a family play that is planned by some aunt that feels she missed her calling as an actor & is living out her fantasy as a director/actor.
You may or may not believe in Christ of whom this holiday is about but whether you do celebrate Christmas or not, you have to feel of the love people have for each other & bask in the kindness which is everywhere you look, like a field being blanketed by sunlight as it effortlessly rises above a hillside while everything it touches warms by its touch.
I do love Christmas & hope that you can feel the spirit of love that it brings so that you also can find peace & happiness during this chaotic time in the world. Merry Christmas.

Anonymous

There is nothing on this earth that irritates me more than when people rant or rave about something in print & then sign their name as ANONYMOUS. I literally want to find those spineless people & drag their sorry butts into the public, to let those who stand behind their name, tar & feather them. I understand donating something or providing charity or good deed & choose to be anonymous but when you enter an arena or fighting for a cause & choose anonymous as your name, you are a disgrace to the human race. I have been in many battles & always use my name behind the cause that I choose to champion but without fail, there is always some poor excuse for a human that chooses to fight in secret so nobody will see who they are. Oh yeah, maybe if people find out your identity they will not want to be your friend or will judge you harshly. Well duh. if your friends or the public think your spineless comments are in error, maybe you should reevaluate your stance because you are probably misinformed or wrong. Regardless of whether you get castigated in the arena of public opinion or not, get some backbone & stand up for what you believe, using your name & not the pansy name you have been using of anonymous. I have been beat to a pulp by public opinion but I don't care what the public thinks about me as long as I am true to my beliefs & my values.
If you are anonymous, you don't exist, so go away & leave the rest of us alone because you are nothing along with your anonymous point of views.

Do I or Don't I

Have you ever had occasion to make a decision that you really couldn't win regardless of which direction you went? For example, I have made decisions on a School Board that were both wrong but they happened to be my only options. The angst I felt was beyond unbearable & have at times haunted me to this day. What do we do when faced with "no win" decisions in our life? I am not sure that I have an answer for you except to say that, in my case, I have to choose what allows me to look in the mirror.
Life, just by the nature of diverse opinion, creates situations in which we must stand behind our convictions or beliefs or we must compromise our beliefs for what is best for the whole & that causes an environment of controversy & heartache.
we can stand firm on what we feel but the outcome will be that we are standing with a few but that the problem is never resolved or that we become embroiled in a battle of wills, with neither side ever forgiving the other.
Once again, I don't have the answer but I know that hatred over a point of view seems to be worse that compromise at least in the event that it is not moral or ethical & in that case i feel we need to fight to death to protect what we feel is essential to our moral & ethical beliefs.

Snow

When I woke up this morning it was snowing & there was a couple inches of snow on the road, making it an adventure getting to work because some commuters hadn't planned for snow & were off the road trying to figure out what to do. Those that were like one of my employees, faked sick & took the day off or at least that is the story I will use.
As I look out the window of my office, with snow falling gracefully from above onto a billowy blanket of new fallen snow, it becomes a surreal moment, mesmerizing me with the incredible beauty & although hypnotic, the realization of how dangerous it can be if stranded becomes a very possible realization.
Falling snow to me is like the flickering flames of a warm fire dancing in the dark, you can't help but fall into the hypnotic trance of watching these flames begin from the red hot fire & disappear into our imaginations.
Snow falling reminds me of days gone by as a child, when once my brothers & sister at the sight of snow would grab all the winter clothes & out the door we went to sled up & down the street while hitting each other with snow balls any chance we could. The problem was, that the fresh snow makes horrible snow balls because it doesn't compact well, which was probably good so as to avoid a fight from hitting somebody to hard.
We didn't care what we were doing as long as we could play in the snow & the day it snowed was always the most exciting because you are caught up in the experience of snow falling all around you. We made snow forts, snow angels, tunnels, we even jumped off our two story house roof if there was enough snow on the ground. The problem with this was that as kids we underestimated or overestimated how much snow was needed all the time, causing all kinds of problems. If there was not enough snow we would go right through the snow to hard ground & it would hurt really bad but if we jumped off when the snow was over a few feet deep, we would get stuck in the snow & couldn't get out without help, allowing the neighbors or brothers to do all kinds of annoying things before they finally got bored & pulled you out. My brother thought it would be funny one time to dive into the snow drift from the roof, head first & yes, it was a scary moment for him but hilarious to those watching because his legs were flailing around above the snow but all you could see was about 2 feet of his legs.
Working in the snow isn't my favorite thing to do so I guess, once the playful childhood games were over & the reality of life set in, snow wasn't quite the enjoyment it once was even though I still feel the urge to go out & jump into the snow or to build a snow fort, I don't think it will happen any time soon but no promises.
The one thing I can do though is sit here & watch the beautiful snow fall while it transforms me back to my youth & the enjoyment I experienced playing in the snow, free of care & free to play until my hands were so cold I couldn't feel them.
May we never forget those things we enjoy even if but for a fleeting moment, sitting at a desk, watching the snow fall through a window.