Skip to main content

The Final Month

Rabbit, Rabbit

Needed good luck and good cheer. Silly childhood sayings, myths and fables. This year winds down, and like all, since turning 40 (or was it 30), the years seem to flash by. Days drag, at times, even weeks, but the years are a blur.

As kids we measure time by holidays. In school or out. Our Sunday Best, fireworks, costumes and presents. As young adults, we waited for our weekends away with friends, maybe even spring break for the post-college crowd. In my 30's, it was watching other's kids grow and it was pleasant, but age creeps up and in our 40's, time and years are marked by those we've lost.

December. another Christmas and Hanukkah without my mother. Next yea will be my 15th holiday season without her. It shows. It's been years since I gave or received a gift. I don't want for anything, so I often think others need to feel as I. Selfish, I know, but I look back on the massive amounts of time and money I've spent, searching the aisles or sites for the perfect gift. A smile, a hug, a kiss...gratitude. Trinkets, knick knacks and bric-a-brac, often sitting in the box for months, some never opened. Worn once and hung on a hook or a hanger. Forgotten. On to the next.

New Year's will be upon us sooner than we know. Resolutions will be made, often resembling those of the year before. Lose weight. Start exercising. Save money. Write a book. Call Brett. But why? Why does the calendar dictate that we look down on ourselves. Why not enjoy our bodies and what we put into. Exercise our minds, through a weekly, monthly for those too busy, trip to the library or a museum. Prioritize what we need to be happy and don't feel pressure to spend money to make other's feel as such. Create something; anything. Call a friend. Laugh, cry and think.

Make a resolution to look up and look out more. The sun, moon and stars are gifts that can be unwrapped daily. Enjoy the company of others and look them in the eye when they need and listen always. Spend less time thinking of your response and more about what they are saying and where it is coming from. Especially with children. The next time you're impatient, think of all the time you spend watching TV, sitting in traffic, or browsing the Internet and breathe for a second. Realize the time you choose to waste and then realize these brief moments of frustration are paltry in comparison. Listen to children and learn from them. Do the same with the elderly and realize their repetitiveness has value. The same story over and over, told exactly the same way means it's important. Realize that tiny insignificant moment stayed with them forever. Take time out of your hectic life not to miss your tiny moments.

December is the final month. Most of us will never know when our final year is. So enjoy the insanity of the holidays, but don't add to it  There's nothing wrong with giving of yourself if it's all you can afford, either financially or emotionally. Realize not everyone is festive, but it doesn't mean they don't want to be included. They just may choose to attend from afar or send wishes and embrace their solitude. Look for the signs and take those who need company in, even for a cup of a coffee or a beer. Thirty-one days and the finality of one year gives way to the rebirth of another. Us older folks realize it will simply be Sunday becoming Monday, but with a day off for most. Enjoy that day and spend time building on your year first. Your happiness will show unto others. Trust me. I've been around the opposite and probably was the opposite for long enough.

Happy December and the Holidays, no matter what you do or do not recognize.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

White Privilege

This was a post I wrote on Facebook after surprisingly not seeing any moaning about the Documentary by Jose Antonio Vargas, titled White People Dayyum! I just scrolled my timeline and not a single white person got their feelings hurt by White People. I unfortunately haven't seen it, but the number of fake accounts that popped up on twitter, tells me it was a damn good show. Here's the thing. If someone of color aka non-white says "White Privilege," are you offended? If you said yes, then you are exhibiting white privilege. It has nothing to do with how hard you work or study, how you stayed out of trouble, because here's the thing, that is entirely the point. Somewhere out there, there are 100 Black, Spanish, Native American, Arab, Asian, who worked and studied as hard as you and never got in trouble, but they don't have what you "earned" or achieved. Stop looking at the one person you know who isn't white that achieved as your benchmark. Loo...

Quickie Review - Finding Vivian Maier

While I thoroughly enjoyed the film, especially the first 15-20 minutes, I was a little bothered by the way the film played out. The interviews with the clearly disturbed brother, sister and the mother, who obviously, was in for a cut, didn't need to be in the film. Then the woman who suggested abuse, yet seemed to have her life defined by Maier, as she tried to muster every ounce of emotion and fake guilt. Her friend, more than happy to be party of the charade. People who talk about abuse for the first time, usually don't do so on camera. The fact these scenes were so prominent, shows that they felt wronged that they were not rewarded. Maloof on the other hand, seems to disappear from the documentary during this part, almost hiding away from the fact, he went from complete praise, to even making money off of her, to destroying her personal legacy. He almost mentions the family of boys taking care of her rent, as an afterthought. Her burial spot, never shown, yet a video of her...

If You Listen To One Speech - Lana Wachowski

http://www.rollingstone.com/movies/videos/lana-wachowski-opens-up-about-difficult-past-and-attempted-suicide-20121024 Today I saw a link to a video for a speech by Lana Wachowski.  The last name rung a bell, but I could't put my finger on it. Lana, used to be Larry, one of the writer, director, producers of the Matrix trilogy, V for Vendetta and the upcoming Cloud Atlas.  Lana is transgendered and has "come out" as a woman.  She was being honored by the Human Rights Campaign. I didn't know what to expect when this broad woman with crazy hair and a raspy voice began to speak.  She began with the usual pleasantries and told of her hair dresser. She then tells of her desire to be a quiet person and how hard the success of the Matrix movies made this.  The first ten minutes is telling of how she's not quite ready to be this spokesperson.  Then she speaks about the new movie Cloud Atlas and reveals the heart of the movie and this speech. She states,"The resp...