2014…are ya KIDDING? It was JUST 1999!!!

Sadly, we come to this evening with another night of obligatory writing. Where has my writing rhythm gone? I was so good on the two times a month vibe, for so long, I am certainly not going to fail myself now, but it sure does seem that the past couple of months have been low on the inspiration meter. Or have they? I mean, the past two months, we have had exactly ONE free weekend. Perhaps the thing is, that there is much to reflect upon, just very little time to do it.

I suppose life could be worse.

On that note, tonight I am on the eve of yet another writing project. I bought, while out Christmas shopping, a one line a day 5 year memory journal. Should be good for me, the girl who can remember song lyrics ad nauseam, but can't recall what she had for breakfast yesterday. I look forward to the idea of pen and paper writing. I look forward to the idea of recording both the marvelous and the mundane. I look forward to having a place to notate gratitude. I look forward to a record, a review, a reminder of what has been going on in this crazy little life we lead.

And I look forward to the mystery. I mean, it is hard to imagine where will life even BE in 5 years! It is nothing I would want to know now, but surely something that will be fascinating to behold, and I feel I need to start to brace myself and hold on tight. Much lies ahead. And with the rate time flies lately, 5 years will be here and gone in a blink of the eye.

Again, life could be worse.

As we celebrate New Year's Eve, my favorite holiday, the holiday of hope, of reflecting and looking ahead, a planner's holiday for sure, I also hold out hope for humor in the new year. We JUST finished watching "Grumpy Old Men" with the kids, and if that 5 year one line journal can record a few zingers that would rival Burgess Meridith's gag reel at the end of the movie, I do think my life would be complete.

To 2014. L'chaim, L'chiam, to LIFE!

Depleted Air Supply

It has been kind of odd, this year, having NO time in between Thanksgiving and Advent.

I am a big believer in not forgetting about Thanksgiving, and have my personal rules, like actually decorating for Thanksgiving, and not playing holiday music until December 1st. But this year December 1st brought a Sunday. And December 2nd brought back to work Monday. December 3rd was a Tuesday recovery from said backlash, and today was really the first day I realized we are actually well into both secular and sacred Advent.

Oh sure, we did the advent wreath at my mom's on Sunday for dinner, and discussed our HOPES for the coming weeks, but it was not until Wednesday that it really sank in. It sank on two levels too.

Sunday, my attitude was a little bit dark and snark, and my dinnertime HOPE was that the coming three weeks pass easily, referring to working with kids that are too excited to focus. But my HOPE as the week has progressed has focused on a kid, a student at our school, a former student's brother, my daughter's friend, who is in the hospital fighting. Yeah, HOPE can spin on a dime it seems.
Still, this kid is a trooper. Kids are. They fight, they rally, they bounce back, and as much as we adults worry and wring our hands, they get the job done. And for some reason, deep down, I know that is what this little one is going to do.

SO that being said, and knowing he is one with a FINE sense of humor, I will turn to my other back to life moment today. On my way to work, realizing that it really was December 4th and I had yet to un-attic my holiday music I decided to tune to Y94 FM, Central NY's home of continuous Christmas music. How bad could it be?

Can we say Air Supply singing "Winter Wonderland?" No one needs to hear that. Then it segued into "Rocking Around the Christmas Tree," in my opinion one of the most overplayed bad songs to grace our holiday playlists. Just because it says ROCK doesn't mean it has to be on your ROCK holiday playlist. I blame iTunes. I blame Genius.

I changed the channel.

My ride to work is short, so by this time I had arrived, and made my way in to my classroom, where I was free to play any holiday tunes I wished. And truth be told, even with the small selection I have ripped onto the network, I have a better variety than good old Y94. They ought to give me a call. The day continued on, actually, interestingly, filled with holiday music. It was the day for it, it seems. We listened during work, we attended a K-3 holiday concert rehearsal. My students and I anticipated, and then were a bit disappointed not to hear, a perennial favorite, "Snowpants," as it was not sung by this year's first grade.

But then again, was that perhaps just a little life lesson…for every year, change comes our way.

Sometimes, advent sneaks up and surprises us. Just like life. And sometimes our personal rules get the best of us. But always, if we are looking, if we are aware, the universe hits us, with a visual, or a situation, or a song, and it lets us know that as much as we may like to think we are in charge, in so many ways we are not. We influence our time here, we choose how to accept the events of our life, but at the root, we deal with what we are dealt.

And sometimes it is a quick calendar.
Sometimes it is a really really really crappy health crisis.
Sometimes it is Air Supply at 7:50 AM.

How we choose to accept what we are dealt is what makes us who we are.
And today, I chose song, and music, and all the joy that comes with it.
And I suggest, especially in this season of advent, that you all do too.
Just please, for the love of God, avoid the Air Supply.