What is Christmas?

For too many years we have listened to the Christmas commercial hype telling us we must have this, or must do that to have the perfect Christmas. But Christmas isn't about material things. Putting aside for just a moment the reason behind Christmas, Jesus birth, the holiday is about spending time with loved ones; family and friends who care about you. It's about the imperfections that make us laugh and cling to each other when all we want to do is give up, or cry. Christmas is a celebration of our support groups in life. The acknowledgment of the love we give and get everyday. So what are you doing for Christmas this year? Are you rushing around trying to make everyone else's Christmas special, or are you taking time to be with them and create Christmas memories?

Remember the times when you made Christmas cookies, played with wrapping paper, sang to your children at bedtime, gave and received hugs with relatives and opened your heart to the possibilities in life. Don't give up on the joy behind Christmas just because the wallet has more room than usual. Teach the young to make things, to visit neighbors and family; encourage traditional love. The best thing about Christmas is the feeling of being loved by someone else.

So is Christmas in the wrapping paper, the bows, the gifts? Or is Christmas in the arms that hold those gifts? My favorite memories were the ones when we as a family tried over and over again to get the Christmas picture right; often with lots of wonderful mistakes! I hold on to those memories like gold. To me that is what makes Christmas.

Gazing into the Square

Why are we so fascinated by animal shows? We will watch hour after hour as crazy people go delving into woods, crevices, holes and waters looking to show us things we never want to come face to face with! We hover eagerly waiting to see creatures chase and catch prey as large or larger than we are... and wanna see more!

I admit I'm one of those fascinated by their habits. I love to see these crazy people put themselves in harms way. Humans are the most insane, most dangerous, most moronic, most intense creature out there. And we love to watch people get into the strangest situations. We laugh, gasp, cry and get frustrated right along with them as they struggle and survive the worst we can throw their way.
We invent fanciful methods of trouble and put them in it and when logic won't save them, we invent new ways of dealing with the trouble we created. And we love it!

"Oh look! Its a deadly flesh eating bacteria infected spider! Lets see if I can get this little fellow to crawl over my hand. If we're lucky, he may even bite me!" Moments later we're eagerly waiting to see if the hospital has the anti-venom. Have we as a species reached an insane madness, or are we just testing ourselves to find our own limits? I'm not sure. I find myself drawn to several conclusions however, one of them being I'm missing my show by writing this (turning to watch as crocodiles try to drag down a gazelle).

It's little wonder that we're willing to surrender to those things we consider safe. Home, TV, food, family, traditions and spending time by sharing stories. Maybe we're just wishing we could be as brave as they are...but aren't we really? I think it takes more bravery to stay the course and believe in yourself, trust in love and care about others around you. But... I'm missing my show...(turns to see a crocodile lung at a man holding a baby)...oh, It's ok, I've seen this episode.

What do you believe?

I have begun to think the world is always waiting for someone to apologize for things it did or might have done. Always waiting for compensation for the destruction that the evil of this world has ravaged. The problem with a world view like that is people forget it is often an individual or small group who owes the apology and not the larger masses. What I'm trying to say is that it all begins with one person stepping up and saying something. Then that person gets someone to listen to them who then may or may not agree. It escalates from there until it either is resolved or snuffed out. Evil things have been done by individuals with the help of those who they were able to convince. Hitler, Mao and Stalin to name a few (who combined were responsible for more than 94 million deaths).


This pattern works for good individuals too, but often we don't hear their names as much as we hear the bad ones. People like Sister Theresa, Abraham Lincoln, Jim Henson, Helen Keller, Mahatma Ghandi, Albert Einstein, and Louis Pasteur made their mark on the world while trying not to harm it or those who live on it. There is a lot to be said about those who choose to create over those who choose to destroy or bring chaos. They are the foundation of what human kind considers the most valuable. Good vs Evil.

I thank God that there are more good people then there are bad ones. I stand up right now and yell it to the mountains and all who can hear me...
I believe in Love, Peace, Hope, Compassion and Mercy! I believe in myself and my heart's ability to keep me in line! I believe in you, and your ability to become more than you are! I believe that there is nothing more valuable than the ability to trust and love one another!
I believe in holding babies close and breathing deep. I believe in sitting on the porch on a summer day drinking iced tea with your family and laughing at life's little ironies. I believe in telling those you care about that you love them. I believe in driving down the road and singing along with a happy tune. I believe in taking time to listen to your fellow man (or woman) and interacting with them on a personal level. I believe in giving a damn. I believe this so strongly that I will never waiver from this, nor will I ask another human being to do so. I believe. Do you?

When does the makeup come off?

I had a conversation with my guy the other day. I asked him if he minded me not wearing a lot of makeup. I used to never leave the house without layers of it on. Sometime in college I stopped wearing it either for 'making my life easier' or because I got lazy. My hair was always perfect and I kept hair spray in my purse. Now I use it maybe once a month if ever and as for makeup, maybe a little lipstick and mascara but that is it... He says he doesn't mind, but I wonder.

There's something about the freedom of 'wash n'go' that our society loves. We've learned to cut corners in order to economize out time. I wonder where all the time we saved actually went. I think its out there hiding with all the lost socks, lost keys, and lost minds.
 

Slanguage

The English language is loosening up. I found out not long ago that there are some slang words that are now listed as real words in the dictionary. My fascination with this began when I found out that 'Ginormous' became an official word last year. Apparently they were able to trace it's usage back to WWII. Ergo now it is part of the English language. So I started thinking about all the slang words I've heard recently that one day might become 'real boys'. There are different types of slang. Like the abbreviations you find in instant messaging or e-mails. There is also the dialect slang which is localized and is really an attempt to rewrite the language. Then there is common slang. That's the one where words you use seem appropriate but they're not considered dictionary worthy yet. I've made up a list of three types of common slang. Words that actually made it into the dictionary as permanent, words that are listed in the slang dictionary and not the official dictionary base, and words that aren't even listed in the slang dictionary yet. I've listed the year they were traced back to when available...I hope they make you smile like they did me!

Words that haven't made it yet:

Chillax (chill + relax)
Ba dink a dink (small human rear)
Ba donk a donk (ample human rear)
Etact (tactfulness in using electronic communications such as instant messaging)
Gestimation (guess + Estimation)
Jingo Jango (ridiculous)
Sitch (situation)

Words that have made it to the slang dictionary:

Wussy (wimp + pussy)
Homie (local pal)
Janky (old and broken)
Krunk (wild and exhilarating)
Bazillion (billion + gazillion)

Words that have officially made it to English language:

Phat (terrific, great) trace back to 1960
Dude and Dudette (buddy, surfer slang) trace back to 1991
Slanguage (slang vocabulary) trace back to 1900
Spim (instant messaging ads) trace back to 1999
Grody (disgusting) trace back to 1960
Groovy (really cool) trace back to 1815
Zilch (zero) trace back to 1966
Ginormous (giant + enormous) trace back to 1948
Babe (small child) trace back to 1150
Babe (girl) trace back to 1915
Psycho (abbreviated Psychopathic) trace back to 1935
Cop (police officer) trace back to 1695
Funky (odd and smelly) trace back to 1784
Edgy (highly irritating) trace back to 1837
Scram (to run away quickly) trace back to 1925
Spud (potato) trace back to 1400
Cash (paper money) trace back to 1590
Freebie (free item) trace back to 1940
Grungy (filthy) trace back to 1965
Bonkers (insane) trace back to 1945
Spork (spoon + fork) trace back to 1909
Boo Boo (injury or mistake) trace back to 1954
Caboodle (lot or group of things, as in kit and caboodle) trace back to 1840

Even Trustworthy People Get Tempted

Once in a while something comes along that makes you stop and pay attention.  It can be something simple and seemingly unimportant or very big and obviously tempting.  Where is the line that says it is 'ok to want this, it isn't really that big'?  Somewhere in our childhood we found that line (if we are lucky).  A moment of clarity about the temptation and its being wrong to give in.

For me it was stealing a piece of gum from a small grocery store at the age of ten.  Luckily guilt kicked in and I returned later and apologized to the store owner.  It is easy to be judgemental about others doing things we wouldn't do because that line is highly personal.  Everyone learned where the line is, in an approximate not exact term and all the lines are based on personal bias.  It is just as easy for an Amish child to be tempted as a big city kid, or a preachers kid.  True character must come from how we deal with the realization.

Now that we've wrapped out minds around that thought, try this one.  Why do we give ourselves permission to cross that line?  We adjust it based on personal bias.  I think it is a fundamental tool we use to 'hone' our ethics.  Unfortunately it often can be used the wrong way and we 'allow' ourselves to 'fudge' over the line because we think it won't do any perceived harm.

Is this the reason we have murderers and theives?  Have they crossed the line so many times they can't find it anymore?  I would imagine that relearning it is harder than maintaining it... and once you habitually cross that line you're then always fighting to find it again.

In the end we pay consequences for our actions.  I think we weigh those against the temptation to see if we are willing to pay the price.  Hence that extra piece of cake or extra hour of TV when we should be doing something else.  It might also explain why we as Americans tend to eat so much.

Umbrella Anyone?

Do you carry an umbrella? Being prepared is always a good thing even if most of the time it is inconvenient. I used to carry those folded plastic rain bonnets because my grandmother used to carry them too. Come to think of it I used to carry cough drops for the same reason.
I'm sure I'm not alone in saying that things I used to do "just in case" I stopped doing a long time ago. Why? I honestly think I've determined that the law of averages showed me it was better to be prepared on days when I knew rain was coming. Otherwise I'd be carrying tons of stuff everyday, hunched over and grumbling. Or better yet, become a hermit and never leave the stuff! Yeah, I'd probably be the hermit (grin). I like being prepared. Years ago when I still volunteered every summer to work at camp, I was the dorm mom who had extras of everything. One year I realized people had stopped bringing as much stuff because they knew I would have it if needed. I think that's when I began to reduce the level of stuff I'd allow myself to bring.

It felt nice to be needed but honestly the work involved didn't balance well with the little appreciation it received. I'd stopped doing it for me...

Now I weigh the balance to see if it's worth the effort to be prepared or just 'wing it'. Did that come with age or experience? I'm not sure, but I do know that I don't stoop over with the weight of expectation anymore. What happens, happens and I'm happy to just be alive, in love, and healthy....and find that stick of gum I've been digging for in my purse!

One Kind Word Can Change The World

Everyone has had a bad day.  One where one thing after another goes wrong.  Where the weather, children, coworkers and pets seem to be plotting to make sure your day continues on a downward spiral.  Sometimes all it takes to turn your world around is one kind word.  Someone takes a moment to smile at you, or compliment you and suddenly everything is back to being alright.

You could argue that it is all about perception, and you would be right.  What it really boils down to is a feeling of approval that counteracts a sense of being out of control.  Frustration melts away into a sense of balance and acceptance.  It lightens the perception of a heavy load.

Can this be achieved by an individual without the help of another?  Tentatively I say yes because I see evidence of this in naturally happy upbeat people.  Don't get me wrong, they have their bad days too, but they bring themselves out.  Sometimes by using humor or showing love to another, exhibiting kindness or positive attention you can break down incredibly high and resistive walls in yourself and in others.

Imagine a world where everyone opted to do one nice thing a day to or for someone who obviously was having an 'off' day.  The world wouldn't be perfect, but it sure would seem like a better place to live!