END-OF-YEAR THOUGHTS
Year's end is neither an end nor a beginning but a going on, with all the wisdom that experience can instill in us. Hal Borland
FOUR GIFTS
If I could give each of you a gift, I’d wrap up four nice boxes and in each one there would be a word you could treasure the rest of your life.
In the third box I’d put Joy. A few days ago I read in a small devotional book this thought: “Joy feels deeper than momentary pride, satisfaction, or relief. . . . A sense of joy brings deep contentment and is often expressed by gratitude for what we’ve been given.” (Lelanda Lee, author)
ADJUSTING TO THE
UNEXPECTED
I've always thought I did pretty well at going with the flow--not following every trend and fad that popped up, but when things didn't go my way, I could adjust--refigure my path--try a new way, so I could keep on an even keel. (Forgive my mixed metaphors.)
This year just ending, 2020, which many are calling the COVID Year, seemed to evolve in new ways every whipstitch--one week it was all right to meet in small groups, a few days later, forget about meeting in face-to-face groups, turn on your Zoom. And so on. You remember.
After adjusting the adjustments, time and again, I've come to see that it can all be summarized this way: KEEP IT SIMPLE.
Not a new thought, right? We've had that bit of advice around for several years.
Here's how it's playing out right now:
Christmas Preparation
Online shopping, get things mailed to me (or to the recipient). The Post Office will pick up as well as deliver, so I don't have to schlep big packages downtown.
Or, forget shopping. Write checks. Withdraw cash to put in cards. Buy gift cards to various stores and mail them to recipients.
Decorating--I've never put up outdoor stuff. My neighbors do enough to make a good display in our one-block-long neighborhood. Instead, I let Mother Nature decorate for me with new-fallen snow (yesterday morning was a good starter), bushes with red berries on them, evergreens (no adornments needed). Minimalist is more my style.
Indoor decorating--not much room for a tree to fill the front window, so my daughter and I decorate two small pencil trees (each about 30 inches tall) and place them on either side of the fireplace. Since the fireplace is not in operation, they're perfectly safe. They're prelighted, and we add a handful of colorful balls, bells, and ribbons. Quilt batting around the bases does the faux snow thing.
Cooking & Treats--a vexed subject. I used to make large veggie trays to take to folks who have helped me throughout the year. Made my own Skinny Dip. Delivered the goods early in December, preferably before the 10th. Everyone who received a tray loved the idea of fewer calories, though I suspect they really were thankful they didn't have to clean all those veggies.
This year? Prepping veggies would have involved my wearing a mask and vinyl gloves while working with the food. Since I make six or more big trays, I'd be working under a handicap for a long period of time. (Try doing quick work with your hands in gloves and your glasses fogged over from breathing under a mask. Uh-huh, no fun, right?)
My adjustment? Redo the menu. A bag of mandarin oranges, a package of string cheese (each string is individually wrapped), and a box of fancy crackers divided into several snack bags. (One box of crackers divided while wearing mask and gloves isn't onerous.)
Tuesday I delivered three treats, and yesterday I delivered one more. Just a couple to go.
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Like many people I know, there's no big holiday dinner this year. My daughter and I will probably have a roast chicken and veg meal in the evening, then watch a holiday movie. (I've never seen the Grinch, can you believe that?) Won't be surprised to hear from my other kids for a phone visit.
A year ago I wouldn't have suspected this year would be different . . . but it's turned out to involve a radical departure from Christmas preparation in the past.
Will this become the new norm? Many people hope not! They want to go back to what they've always done, maybe do even more that in the past.
I won't mind if the simplicity of Christmas hangs on
. Fewer expectations, fewer responsibilities, more time to reflect on the season. . . those would be gifts indeed.
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Have a wonderful week! May your Christmas holiday bring you peace and joy.
CONFESSION TIME
Sorry, it's not working this year.
Here we are, just two weeks before Christmas--carols have been blasting out into the ether ever since November 1--we've had Black Friday sales every other day--my neighbors have put up their lights, inflatables, yard ornaments--
Nope, not working. I have no--and I do mean NO--Christmas spirit. Watched White Christmas a couple of times already, and The Christmas Card (love that Ed Asner). Did a quick shopping trip for a woman who lives in a health care facility. Even updated my Christmas card list (more on that in a moment).
In this "year that never was," or whatever we're calling it this week, I discovered that, yes, time does pass, whether we pay attention or not. People are finding creative ways to celebrate within good-health guidelines. (And some people don't bother to try.)
I have no gifts to wrap--everybody in my family is getting cash this year, including the littlest kids.
I have no music to practice--no church service where I can play the organ. (I officially retired from the bench last spring.)
My annual veggie trays for local businesses and professional offices have had to be scuttled. Even if I wore gloves and a mask, I'm still handling food. The alternate route is a bag of mandarin oranges and a package of string cheese. I know, I know--it's the thought that counts. But still--.
I'm not usually depressed about having nothing to do. It's the other way around--too much to do in the time left, too many commitments (what was I thinking?) . . . .
This year, though, it feels different. Not just because we're at the mercy of a pandemic. That's only part of it. I'm just not sure what else is going on. Life seems to be changing in ways I hadn't expected. Did someone swing the pendulum the other way? Was a reorganization of Life As We Knew It put into effect? I seem to have missed the memo.
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Each year I update the addresses, because folks are still moving in and out of their homes, leaving the state to live with relatives, or coming to Indiana to be near someone who needs care. Young folks sell one house and buy or build another. Older folks sell their homes to a child and go to Assisted Living.
This year I had a couple of changed addresses. Those don't bother me.
But I also had to remove three folks who passed during 2020. That was a sad thing, even though I knew those folks had died.
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In my church, we're in the middle of Advent--watching and waiting in expectation of the birth of Christ. It isn't a hoop-la time in the church calendar; but it's an important season. We prepare for a life-changing event.
Maybe my current subdued state is more in keeping with authentic Advent.
As the year has unfolded, I've come to recognize, and accept, that life as I've known it, and lived it, may never return to what it was. In a sense, that's true every year, but at a slower pace. Now the changes are more drastic, more vivid, more in-your-face.
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Lack of Christmas Spirit? Hmm, maybe that's nothing to be concerned about or ashamed of. There's a whole lot more to Christmas than the bells and whistles, the lights and rich foods. I almost hate to think it, but maybe COVID has given us a positive gift--we had to be creative to come up with safe ways to celebrate.
But deeper down, on a level most of us may forget to visit, there's something else going on. Like, what really is Christmas Spirit? There's no easy or quick answer--it may take us years to work that out. And, I'm certain the answer at my current age is much different from what it was ten years ago, or twenty, or more. Age may not bring wisdom, but it does bring more time to ponder deep questions.
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This year is different, we've all come to terms with that. As for Christmas Spirit--
I'm still watching and waiting. How about you?
A LATE AUTUMN DAY
Yesterday was shopping day--just one store, and if I go early enough, there won't be crowds.
My cart wasn't even half full, for which I gave thanks, but some of the items were heavy enough that I knew I'd be getting my daily quota of weight lifting. Liquid laundry detergent, a box of 20 Mule Team Borax (great for softening our local hard water), non-dairy creamer, quart-size cartons of plain yogurt--it all adds up. I put it in the cart--took it out to place on the conveyor belt--picked it up again to scan it and place it in a bag--shifted the bag to the cart--then out to the vehicle where I put the bags in the back--then went home to lift it all out again. As I say--my daily weight-lifting exercise.
That's what I did on a cold, windy, but sunny day. I got home, hit the BREW button on the coffeemaker before hauling my shopping inside the house, and by the time everything was put away, the coffee was fragrantly steaming and I was able to sit down and rest my feet, enjoy my coffee, and remember that not everybody has the ability--physical, financial, perhaps even mental--to do their own shopping.
Doing the errands isn't all bad. Just, sometimes, tiring.
While I ate my PBJ, I read some more of Jacqueline Winspear's To Die But Once, a later book in the Maisie Dobbs mystery series (set in the years between the wars, 1929-1941). This one is 1940, and England is preparing for the invasion everyone says is coming. If you haven't tried this series, it's worth a read--historically accurate, well-researched, and the story lines are interesting. And so is Maisie, herself.
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Did you have a cold, windy, sunny day? The main ingredient for me is the sunshine. I can put on enough clothes to keep warm, but the sun--not only does it somewhat warm me, it puts a smile on my face. I actually enjoyed being out of the house--getting in the car, getting out, walking around a big store for an hour, checking myself out, loading the car, coming home.
Many, many things in our lives have changed. But some things seem to remain the same. Shopping has to be done. Meals have to be prepared--or ordered--or at least thought about. Laundry will pile up whether we're sick or well or working or unemployed.
Some of us turn to our hobbies, like woodworking, quilt making, painting/drawing, letter writing, binge watching shows on one of the numerous channels available nowadays--just to maintain a sense of Life As We Knew It. To make us smile.
If I could have one wish for everyone who is home bound or otherwise restricted, it would be to look for something that makes you smile. It could be as simple as a sunshiny day. Or a book that you've read dozens of times, just because. Or a phone call, even if you're not a phone kind of person--hearing a beloved voice can do wonders for morale.
And if the day is cloudy? Gloomy? Stormy? Smile anyway! Can't hurt, and might just change your day into something bearable.
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Until next time, stay warm. Stay safe.
