3:34 p.m. - 2007-12-10
SIMPLE ABUNDANCE
Monday, December 10, 2007
I was reading "yaketyyak's blogsite recently and was so impressed by what was posted, I asked permission to put it on my blog. And here it is.
From the book of essays entitled SIMPLE ABUNDANCE...
�This is the week that women�s shoulders begin to droop as their list of holiday �to do�s� becomes as long and heavy as Jacob Marley�s chains. There�s card writing, card mailing, gift buying, gift wrapping, gift sending, tree buying, tree trimming, cookie baking, party giving, turkey roasting.
By next week, unless a Power greater than ourselves restores us to sanity, women will be dropping in their tracks� In case anyone hasn�t noticed, women are the ones who �do� Christmas, performing miracles on demand. Women are Spirit�s deus ex machina, making holiday dreams some true behind the scenes.�
A little further on, Sarah Ban Breathnach advises, �So be of good cheer. Be not frazzled, frustrated, nor frantic, for I bring you tidings of comfort and joy�� Breathnach recommends that we take a look at our list of things to do and cross out two �musts.� We should then use the time that would have been devoted to those chores to actually enjoy the things we love about the holiday season, whether it be �gazing out the window at freshly falling snow, delighting in the sounds of bells and joyful music� or basking in the fire crackling on the hearth and re-creating cherished customs that care for your soul as well as the souls of those you love.�
***
THIS IS AWESOME! THIS IS SO TRUE! HOW MANY OF US RUN OURSELVES RAGGED TRYING TO MAKE THE PERFECT HOLIDAY?
Let's take a break, Let's be kind to ourselves. Let's stop the madness! Let's enjoy the Christmas season with our loved ones and really, really, take time to reflect on our good fortune. Let's give thanks for what we have.
And to help along the way, here's part of an e-mail written by my very own little sister...
*****
I forgot to tell you guys that I managed to explode a coconut today. I had taken the day off to get a couple of those "can't do it over the weekend" things done. The car "service engine soon" light was on,and I wanted to get the car in and have it looked at. Turns out it had a misfiring cylinder. I was able to wait while they did that, then I headed over to the grocery store. When I saw the coconuts, I remembered my son's fascination with the coconut cake-making process we had watched on a television cooking show, and decided to get a couple. (I suspect it's the appeal of drilling holes in the coconuts and draining them, more than the actual baking of the cake that was the appeal for my son.)
I chose them just like the guy on "Good Eats" said. I checked the eyes for "weepiness" (Also puffiness and redness -- didn't want any allergy-coconuts.) I shook them to make sure they sounded good and sloshy. I made sure there wasn't any mold. (Though, there were a lot of little bugs that flew up and out of them when I picked them up.)
I got a few other things, and made my way to the check-out counter. I was putting everything on the counter when it happened.
ESCAPING COCONUT!
It wiggled its way to the back of the cart seat. It waited till my back was turned, then it jumped.
And in doing so, committed coconut-cide.
There was a huge POP, and coconut juice flew all over the place. The coconut, dead, rolled under a bunch of shelves.
My question is . . . if the people on Survivor can't even managed to open one with a machete most of the time, how could I manage to do it without even touching it?
One of life's little mysteries. I guess . . .
****
Enjoy your week and take time to appreciate the blessings you have.
