PARTY OF ONE
Tuesday, Dec. 24, 2019
Some people are lucky, some people are happy – but realize, always, we make our own luck, and we make our own happiness.
Life is a state of being which fits very nicely between the covers of our book of life; front-matter, title/name, beginning, middle, end, back-matter. At times like this, we cannot imagine any sweeter sound than children’s laughter, or anything more acrid than tasting sadness, disappointment, or grief – these are simply pages. In our book, in our life.
Someone calls.
Someone writes.
Surprises arrive.
Someone speaks up, someone goes quiet – we are all hubs a many-spoked wheel, our connections with some people are tenuous at best, some seem broken – but then, someone shows up, someone calls, someone writes.
At this time of year, some people are too busy to notice much as they busily prepare for meals and company, some people work right through in essential services ~ at the wrapping counter, the check-out, and the UPS driver’s seat. Some people skip town, some people skip-the-dishes. Some people laugh, and some people cry. Some people get sick or have car crashes – but some other people are first-responders, they’ll come to help. Hospitals never close. Neither do police stations, ambulance dispatchers, 911 operators, or tow-truck drivers…
Some people walk their dogs; some people have no dog to walk. Some people sit alone, eat alone, sleep alone, or mindlessly watch a burning fireplace on their TV.
Some people are part of a feeling together, some people feel left out. Some people are part of the party, some people are the life of the party, and some people are simply a party of one.
This day, depending on who you are and where you are, could be the busiest day of the year or the loneliest one.
I am headed out later this morning, part of the crowd – on my way to Carla and Chad’s house, with expectation of squealing grandchildren and our peculiar family dynamics; not weird or wrong, just unique to us – as everyone’s family is a special recipe of turkey and talk, toys and tots, wrapping paper and stockings. Each year, in our society, we love and loath parts of this holiday season of adventures and mishaps, this calamity of colliding forces tied together with trite phrases like peace on earth, goodwill toward men…
We need more useful words, like hope. Like kindness. Forgiveness. Awareness, openness, and transparency. We might as well, because everyone can see through us anyway.
Wherever you are, whoever you are, from my heart to yours, happy Christmas to all.
One more sleep!
Meanwhile, here are some tunes from me to you:
