Winding Down

And so it begins. The shopping is finished and the gifts are wrapped. This year I did something  I never do, I shopped during Christmas week. Yes, I actually went into the malls and a few stores without so much as giving thought to what I would encounter. I was pleasantly surprised to find a convenient parking spot wherever I went and the crowds were not too bad. It felt good to get out amongst others and embrace some holiday cheer.

What I also realized is how close the end of 2011 is and how I must hunker down and bang out a manuscript worthy of submission. I know I have been slacking but it is considered research when one is not writing. Isn't it? I am not one for making resolutions...but wait a minute...I am getting ahead of myself. I am that excited to begin work on a new story, the problem is which one. I will use the remainder of 2011 to help me sort that out.

So, this week I will have cleaned the house only to mess it up again on Christmas morn as gift wrapping paper covers the carpet and cookie crumbs find their way into every nook and cranny of the living room set.

I wish you peace, love, and light as you embrace your respective holiday. And may your time be well spent with family and friends.

'Tis the Season

My family keeps asking me what I want for Christmas and my answer has been the same--nothing. Seriously, I do not need or want a thing. I have reached a point in my life were simplicity is key. My daughter is relentless and keeps bugging me for a clue. While I was in my neighborhood Barnes & Noble it suddenly came to me as I held open the door for someone who rushed through without so much as a nod.

Yes, I want someone to thank me when I do something nice as holding a door open so you can push in front of every customer in the store to be the first in line at the register. I quite think that we are all pressed for time. If you thank me, I promise to say, "Thank you" to you when you hold the door open for me. If you unable to hold a door open for me, at least do not swing it back because it no longer serves your purpose other than to smack me in the face.

Maybe it is age, or maybe the hectic stressful existence we are forced to live in. I hear many people complain how hard their lives are. Being third in line at a Starbucks does not seem to be a major life interruption to me. I guess I have low standards.

I do not like to write blog rants but the rudeness I have been encountering on my daily jaunts goes against how I was raised. It's a good thing my grandmother is not around to use the web as a sounding board.

I know that one cannot expect people to behave in the manner they want them to, but I refuse to buy into the negative lack of common courtesy. So I will continue to hold open a door and say "you're welcome" hoping you say "thank you." I will not cut in front of you on line to pay for an item, that I probably don't even need, because I do not think I am more important than you.

So what I want for Christmas is for people to be kinder, gentler, understanding, and patient. Trust me--someone has it worse off than you do. This may be a tall order but there is one thing I will accept from my family as a Christmas present; an enjoyable dinner prepared by all, lounging around the dining room table long after we have taken the last bite of food, and the dishes to be washed, dried, and put away because I am too cheap to buy a dishwasher.

Happy Holidays to all!