Almost let Christmas slip by this year, without the annual
random Christmas thoughts post.
I’m sure all of you are breathing a huge sigh of relief now.
Whew. That was close!
So, this is our first Christmas in the old farmhouse, and
the first Christmas as MI residents since…1996. Back then, we were living in a converted
chicken coop, the guest house belonging to some very nice Jehovah’s Witnesses. Lovely folks who did not make us sign a lease nor pay a security deposit, but were not much help with questions
like “where’s a good place to cut down a Christmas tree around here?”
(But WAS good to find out that Christmas is unofficially “Jehovah’s
Day” at the local ski-slopes.)
Little did we know that we were going to be living in Mississippi
less than six months later.
Last Christmas, we had every idea that we would remain in
Illinois for the long haul. First rounds
of negotiations with my current employer had not ended fruitfully. I had not yet been contacted about a
different job, which begat all the subsequent rounds of negotiations.
Little did we know…
I’ve written papers on
“Little did he know.” I’ve taught classes on “Little did he know.” I once gave an entire seminar based upon “Little
did he know.” Sonofabitch, Harold. “Little did he know” means there’s something he did not know. That means
there’s something you don’t know.
Did you know that? - Professor Jules
Hilbert from Stranger Than Fiction
I’ve been working the new job like a goddam house elf the
last two months or so. 10-11 hour days
are more often than not the case. It’s
easy to not give holidays and ones’ own birthday much thought, when this
happens. Or anything that may be fun, for that matter, if it involves leaving the house during the brief time you are actually there....
Until you realize you’re not giving enough
time and energy to the stuff – the GOOD stuff, the things that are supposed to
help keep life in balance when you’re working like a g.d. house elf, and perhaps it's time to take a step back, and work on that a bit...
I’m so ready for Christmas this year. I’m not struggling to find meaning, to make
the day special, to psych myself up for something that should, in all honesty,
not require self-psyching.
“Geezus, dude. It’s CHRISTMAS. How hard can it be?”
And… you’d be right.
It’s not hard this year.
And I hope that I can take this step forward, this momentum,
and carry it forward, into the new year, embracing new friendships and new opportunities
for growth and for personal satisfaction, the stuff – the GOOD stuff, the
things that are supposed to help keep life in balance…
But I don’t want to look too far ahead. Right now it’s all about waking up without an
alarm on Christmas eve, having an extra cup of coffee, and making breakfast for
my wife and daughter, knowing that gifts are set, plans are set, my computer
won’t be on for 48 hours, and all I have to worry about is how best to fill my
day with fun-for-everyone idle pursuits….
And then waking up Christmas morning, watching my daughter open
her presents while sipping on a cup of coffee, and then asking the age-old
question – Pancakes or waffles?
Merry Christmas, everyone.
Enjoy your time with your family and friends. Relish that extra cup of
coffee. Appreciate the people in your
life that seem to inexplicably appreciate you.
Embrace the good stuff.
