I HATE COUNTDOWNS . . .

I know, I used one last year . . . 5 days till Christmas . . . but I'd like to apologize for that. Counting down the days till Something Happens doesn't always hit a big happy note.

Consider some possibilities:
 - the Something is almost here--hurray?
 - or, the Something is almost here--eek!
 - or, the Something is almost here--why am I not happy about that?

Those of us who live by our Lists, Reminders, Post-It Notes, and other alarm bells probably don't need reminding that there are only a few days left until Something Happens. If we haven't already hit the Panic button (over there on the wall, see?), we're not straying far from its location.

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So! What can we do instead of a countdown?

How about--look out the window and really, really see what's out there.

Here in NE Indiana, there's a light snow, nearly covering the grass, but not quite. Traffic has worn the street snow down to the pavement, so travel to the bank and P.O. will be quite safe this morning.

A few leaves still hanging around on bushes flutter from time to time to remind me there's wind out there--dress warm!



Sunshine comes and goes--cloudy skies may mean more snow is coming. Enough for Santa's sleigh to make it next week? Maybe so!

My street is almost naked of vehicles--folks went to work as usual. We can all be thankful that they have jobs to go to.

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My experience with counting down to something-or-other goes like this:

--the day count sticks in my brain
--brain checks every so often to see what the number of the day was
--repeats ad nauseum

And the result is--I don't actually live in the present time, preparing for the event, thinking about the people involved, remembering past years (sometimes with joy, sometimes with tears). I'm living so far into the future--the result of all the planning and doing--that when the Big Day arrives, I'm exhausted or burned-out or bored. Sometimes all three.

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I vote for no more countdowns. (I get enough of those at the grocery and discount stores in my neighborhood.) I have my List of Things to Do for each day. The list is not crammed full. There's space in there for a quiet cup of coffee, a phone visit with one of the kids, reading another chapter of a book I love . . . . Make your own list. Make it really your own--not what you think people want you to do. 

Then, enjoy the holidays coming up. Meet up with friends and relatives you haven't seen in years. If an open house is your thing, do that. If you're a one-on-one type, create the time to visit with individuals you'll enjoy spending quality time with.

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One of my mother-in-law's favorite sayings was, "In a hundred years, who'll know?"

Works for me!