Hi, how are you? How’ve you been? What’s shakin’? Stop shaking that… at least while we’re talking. (That’s only as dirty as your mind allows, so who’s at fault here).
How long has it been? Too long I suppose, or I wouldn’t have to ask. So, are you… what’s that? Oh, I’m sorry, that’s my bad, I totally forgot. Hold on a sec and we’ll take care of that. Just fire up Betsy here… brum…brum…brum… brrrrrrunnnnnnnn! There we go. Nothing like a hand-attached Homelite to cut through a fourth wall.
Come on in, let me take your jacket. Nice jacket. No worries, I’ll give it back. My black-marketed stolen jacket resale business went out of business months ago.
Have a seat there at the table. Want a beer? A glass of wine, maybe a nice, aged Cabernet Sauvignon? Some chamomile tea? Yeah, me too… not so much the tea, Anywho… Li’l Red put coffee on before she and the grand-saw split, so… cream and sugar?
Are you just here killing time while the turkey roasts? Have you already thankfully enjoyed your traditional meal with family or friends or both and just waiting for the tryptophan to kick in? Or maybe you just decided to skip it this year.
Not for lack of thankfulness— wouldn’t accuse you of that. But there’s no law or rule that dictates when, how or with whom you eat or if you even have to eat at all. I mean, you gotta eat, but if you don’t feel like sharing a meal or have no one you want to share one with, there’s nothing wrong with that.
So, are you planning on battling the Black Friday crowds this year, so you can get great deals, so you can give people more s*** nobody needs? Yeah, I know what you mean, it’s not worth the aggravation of facing the mass holiday insanity of the general public. It’s easier to just shop online. But that still comes with the stress of who to get for, what to get for who and whether to give in case someone else does.
Ya know, for logical people that’s probably the worst of it — the gifting. The expectations of those we give to versus the desired reaction to what they give us. And when you don’t know what to give, gift cards… why don’t we just all exchange wads of cash and call it a done deal. It’s different for kids with Santa Claus and dreidels and such. But we’re adults, if we want something we buy it for ourselves. It makes it all seem so pointless in the grand scheme.
It’s all pointless really. There’s nothing actually special about the holidays. Oh, people like to say there is and try to make it that way. But there is no cosmically universal life altering event that transpires and at the end of the day, it’s just another day… or months’ worth of days. Time served with minimum reward far outweighed by maximum stress.
You want a warm-up on that coffee? Like I was saying… that’s the key element here — the stress of it all. The holiday rush that leaves you in a holi-daze. The shopping, the gathering, the gifting, the eating, the decorating, the music, the mayhem, the madness. It’s all overwhelming and if you’re already overwhelmed before it overwhelms you, it can push you dangerously close to the edge.
This holiday season is about to go full swing. Do you already feel yourself looking into the abyss? If not, that’s great! But if you are, or know someone who is, bear this in mind.
It’s all made-up. Almost to the point of tangibility it can never truly reach. The human race has taken some base events and blown them way out of proportion, wrapped it up with a bow and stuffed it under a plastic tree.
What this means is it doesn’t matter unless you want it to. There are no laws governing your holiday activities or participation. So, if you’re not feeling festive, then don’t be. You can let family and friends know, to spare feelings and maybe get a little support for your decisions. Just don’t let something make-believe drive you to doing something… well let’s just say I’ve enjoyed this visit and hope to see you again.
I welcome almost all questions, comments via FOCUS, or E-mail me at [email protected]. Hope to hear from ya, until then try and stay focused! See ya.
