These Crazy Kids...

You've heard the sayings a thousand times. 

'Kids these days,' someone will say. Or something like 'Can you believe Mary let her 16 year old dye her hair blue?' 

But if that's not what being young is for, then what is?  Let's face it, we all went through some sort of crazy, 'expressing ourselves' phase in our youth.  And besides, how many 35 year olds do you really want to see running around with long black finger nails, pink streaks in their hair and tie dyed leggings under a black punk rocker skirt. 

This is the sort of fashion meant for teens.  But let's take it a little further.  Let your children slurp spaghetti, blow bubbles in their milk, paint their fingers and toes a hideous shade of green and wear glitter body lotion.  It's fun. 

And why not join in a little.  None of this hurts anyone.  It may disturb some of the more conservative adults out there, but it's all in good fun.  I was always taught that your choices are your own and as long as you aren't hurting anyone, and you aren't effecting others or asking them to do it too, then their opinion didn't matter.  And I believe that. 

So what if my 19 year old sister has a tattoo and pink stripes in her hair.  Does that mean she is not capable of performing the job duties of a waitress?  Not at all.  It just means that the conservatives doing the hiring forgot the crazy things they did when they were 19. Like sneaking Kiss records into a party when their parents were away, and painting their faces like Gene Simmons.  You know who you are.

And next time you are at a Denny's and your kids start to blow bubbles in their chocolate milk, don't scold them and tell them to stop just because of what those around you might think.  Join in.  Why not have some fun yourself?

Letter To a Lost Loved One

I miss you.

I know I may not have appreciated your guidance and advice as much as I should have while you were here with me, but you were always there and I will forever be thankful that you were.

Life has continued to creep along since we lost you, but we are all different somehow. You brought more to all our lives than we realized.

I learned about patience and appreciation through your acts of both.
You made seemingly insignificant events seem special through your enthusiasm. You held us all together in a way we can't seem to do without you.

I miss you.
I love you.
Merry Christmas.

And my love to anyone who reads this and draws a tear at the thought of a lost loved one.

Irrational fear

I've never had irrational fears.

I know people that are afraid of monkeys, clowns, oompa-loompas, technology, rodents, and a number of other things that really won't harm you in any way. I mean, oompa-loompas, they are fictional for goodness sake.

I never understood irrational fears.

I can understand why some people are afraid of heights, or dogs, or even driving. Under the right set of circumstances, all of these things can prove dangerous and could cause physical harm.

I, on the other hand probably don't fear enough. I'm not above saying it , I'm cocky, on a good day anyway.

I fear very little for myself. All my fears pertain to my daughter. I fear for her safety, her up bringing, her happiness.

I fear above all else what would happen to her if I weren't there for her.

I don't have time for irrational fears. I have enough to worry about in the real world, without worrying about clowns attacking me in my sleep.

So thank you to the worriers. The world needs you just as much as it needs the overly confident like me. And to those of you in the middle, thank you for balancing us extremists.

Celebrate

When it comes to holiday cheer, I am disgusting.

I get out my Christmas decorations the day after Halloween and spend the next seven week meticulously placing each and every light, figurine and ornament in the exact place it will help me achieve optimum festiveness.  I take special care to place the glass balls on the bare spots to the inside of the branches of the tree, leaving room on the outer limbs for the unique features of snowmen and reindeer.

I love to have the lights on in the evenings for weeks before Christmas.  I have carols playing all the time.  They are on in my car, at work, while I'm cooking and cleaning.  I have even been caught singing them in the shower.  I hum to myself and whistle and smile more.

I love the smell of fresh cookies filling the air.  It beats the smell of burnt french fries from the night before or the smell of the six year old playing with paint and clay.

 I love passing out Christmas cards and shopping for gifts for my friends and loved ones.  I love dressing up the packages in beautiful papers and bows and thinking of clever ways to address the tags.

It's all fun.

I hate getting gifts.  I don't like to be the center of attention while things are being opened.  Especially when you open a gift from your mother or husband that you hate.  You have to smile and act like you love it.  Inside, your just hoping they don't notice weeks later that you don't have the hideous vase on the coffee table or that you haven't worn the sweater that looked like it was made for someones grandfather out of recycled yarn and iron-ons.

And it's not the break I love either.  I don't get time off from work, and I miss school terribly over the breaks.

The reason I love the holiday so, is that people are nicer.  Genuinely nicer, kinder.

Now of course I don't mean people like the crazy woman who pepper sprayed people in line at Walmart on Black Friday.  I'm talking about the average person you pass on the street.  Your neighbors, your co-workers, and your family.  People are a little more considerate, a little more selfless and a little more friendly.  You can see a softer, more childlike side to people.  It's not something that's forced.  These people aren't nice because they are being paid to be.  They are kind for no other reason than they can be and it's the right thing to do.

It is simple.  It is beautiful.  Watch and you will see people letting others go in traffic, neighbors sending gifts to people they barely know, people showing appreciation for servers, valets and bartenders they see everyday but usually ignore.

These small acts of kindness are the reasons I love this time of year.

So sing, and decorate and bake and wrap, but don't forget the most important part of Christmas...
love one another.