Peace Be With You

messenger

If 2012 turns out to be our last year, let's make it a good one.

Here's to peace, love, growth and prosperity in the new year.

Hope

Here's hoping that you have peace in your life and that whatever might prevent that peace can be enlightened or given a hug or a sandwich.

Here's hoping that your fears can loom just far enough away for you to have a good time and just close enough to keep you safe.

Here's hoping that your burdens are only heavy enough to make you feel strong.

Here's hoping that love will keep you buoyant.

Tis the Season

separated

I presently have four lists in my back pocket, six in my pocketbook, two in my coat, three on the kitchen island and an unknown amount on or near my desk.

I have a rule about the holiday season; If it makes me stressed out, I don't do it.

Freaking out over money, gifts, relatives and food ruins the whole deal for me.

This is not to say that I don't ever stress about those things. When I start to (or after I have already lost it), I stop what I am doing.

I ask myself if this is something I really want to do.

If the answer is "no" I cut it out (baking anything, for example).

If the answer is "yes", then I stop complaining and figure out how to do it in a joyful way (ask someone else to bake or buy baked goods, for example).

Sounds like I am just tricking myself into having a Merry Christmas?

Correct.

The mind trick and the lists, works every time.

Let it Snow

brigade

I'm not a big fan of cold weather. There are some great things about snow though.

I love how beautiful it can be. The light refracted off of all those tiny crystals really is quite magical, before the snowplows, cars and people muddy it up anyways.

My favorite thing about snow is the opportunity to build something.

We used to make some great forts out of the icy top layer of the snow.  Best to wait until the top layer was frozen enough for a 50lb. kid to walk on without breaking through. We'd break off the chunks like pieces of slate and stack them up, stone wall style.

Snow people and animals were also fun. I never could get one to look as perfectly round as I had seen in picture books. The snow was not as pure. When you roll the snow across the yard you are pretty likely to pick up leaves, pine needles, pine cones, dirt and acorns as you go. There also was never a top hat available to place on his head upon his head. It was fun anyways. It still is.

The coolest thing I ever saw built in the snow was a homemade sledding track made by my cousin, Tim. 

The winter he built it was one of those classic New England winters where the snow was never in short supply and the temperatures never got above 32 degrees (F).  Tim was out there with shovels of all sizes and buckets of water to smooth and perfect the curves of the track. 

The back yard had just enough incline and square feet to get you up to heart-beat-skipping speed with jumps that only almost broke your tailbone. 

I was happy to ride it and I was happy to go inside where Auntie had a cup of warm cocoa waiting for me.