Season Greeting
Tis the season and I am beginning to feel a little stressed. I have been in the maddening crowd, in among them, elbow to elbow in a merchant’s efforts to help relive those good old day of Volkswagen stuffing. It is the season where our senses are delighted to new sights, sounds and fragrances. You can appreciate someone’s over generous use of perfume and you can regret someone neglect of personal hygiene. You can hear the sound of the tinkling bells as they ring and ring and ring and ring incessantly in front of every store and mall entrance in town. You can see for the 487th time, "It’s A Wonderful Life” and just in case you miss it; it will be appearing on every channel at least twice a day until sometime next year. You also get to see reruns of your favorite cartoons classics and sing along with that favorite Christmas carol, “You’re A Mean One, Mr. Grinch.” You can hear more often as not a discouraging word. And if I hear, “Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer”, one more time, I am going to scream.Is it any wonder that I am stressing out? Maybe it is from lack of sunlight. I heard that has an influence on one’s moods. If so that would mean that the happiest people in the world are those who live in the tropics and the deserts where they have am abundance of sunshine. Maybe I am just being asked to do too much in too short period of time. I mean I just finish a major holiday with Thanksgiving where I had to travel over the river and through the woods to another state on crowded freeways and now I have just four short weeks to shop for relatives I hardly ever see. I have to dig out boxes the decorations, which were packed away (in the back of everything) to now festoon the entire house. Of course I am expect to visit friends and family and they will expect to come my house the have me entertain and dine them. I think is it lack of planning of the part of President Lincoln who put Thanksgiving at the end of November. Franklin Roosevelt had the right idea when he tried to move the holiday back a week to give more time between the holidays but football stopped that.
Maybe it is because everyone seems to have his or her hand stuck out. I guess it is the season for giving but some people just take it for granted - the receiving part. But today, let’s think of ourselves for a few minutes. I do not think that is too out of line. I mean for many of us, we think about others all the time and rarely do we think about ourselves because others would see it as selfish. Well let’s get selfish shall we. In keeping with the holiday spirit of giving, I want you to give yourself something this year that only you can give yourself. I am not talking something in the materialistic sense (sorry Wal-Mart) but something in the more spiritual ream. I want you give yourself a gift that reaffirms who you are, something that touches your soul, something that makes you smile, makes you cry, and makes you feel alive all at once.
As an example, I have a lot of music at my house – CD’s, tapes and LP’s – and some of that music touches something inside of me. It carries me away, it changes my emotions and it makes me feel whole. So this year I am going to burn myself a CD with a collection of songs that as Carol King says makes me “feel like a natural woman.” I know that this is not much but for me after I have spent an hour in a check out line only to have the cash register malfunction when it is my turn and I have to then go to end of another checkout line, I need a little something to maintain the “peace on earth and good will to all” attitude. This is my little escape that I am doing just for me this year. For you, it could be something as simple as a long soaking bubble bath (hold the phone calls please) or a long walk in country or watching a crackling fire with a glass of wine. But find something that you can do for yourself this year that will help keep you sane in this time where insanity seems to be norm.
Well, it is just about my turn to check out. I should have packed a lunch but it is my fault for not anticipating the popularity of this store. They have a very diverse clientele. The gentleman in front of me has a medical disorder where he is troubled with gas. He has fortunately been belching all morning and not sending the gas the other way to become little stinkers. The couple behind me has been in a discussion about their Christmas list. From the conversation I would say that his family is not getting a thing this year and everyone in the store knows it too. Oh joy, the little boy in the line next to me has just begun to sing acappella the Twelve Days of Redneck Christmas - again. Bless his heart, he is about as tone deaf as a juice harp in a string orchestra but that has not dampened his enthusiasm or volume. Maybe I need something stronger than a music CD this year. I think will stop by another store and get a cup of good cheer to go along with my music.
Merry Christmas
Postscript:
I was going to send in this cynical piece as is to the TG Forum but today something happened to me on the way home that proves that this holiday is a special time for us all. I was driving on the interstate back home from helping my best friend move this weekend. Well out in the middle of nowhere my right front tire blew and I was on the side of the road calling AAA and trying to figure out how to change the tire. Well a colonel in the army reserves stopped and assisted (he did most of the work) in changing my tire. He would not take any money for his kindness and he just said Merry Christmas and drove off. There are some very nice people out there who really do make the world a better place. I will be making a donating to a local charity in this Good Samaritan’s name. Today, a stranger showed me the Christmas spirit. I hope that you all can find it and share too.
Love, Peace and Happiness
Beverly Christine Barnes
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