The Lighter Side of Life

Tis the season to be... light? Light-hearted that is. After November 31st, America instantly becomes this better place to live. I guess everyone forgets to watch the news due to the hustle and bustle of life because crime, poverty, and injustices are still occurring and maybe are more prominent now, rather than any other time of year. Waiting for winter, Chanukah, Christmas, and even Kwanzaa causes people to forget about all the troubles that are actually going on.

As I get older, Christmas is less exciting for me. You may remember me talking about my twenty-third birthday six months ago. It was the first birthday I had that just meant I was getting older, nothing else. Last Christmas, a year ago, was one of the only times I remember being disappointed with what I got. After these last two holiday downers, I shudder to think what this Christmas, only five days away, will mean to this lonely boy.

It's not that I wasn't appreciative for the items I received or for getting to live another year, it was just that for so long, I had been taught that the holidays were the time of year to celebrate and be happy to be alive. I find myself at odds with my psyche because I am trying to get on the same wavelength that I had been on twenty-two years prior.

Celebration is a rejoicing of the times one is living through and being grateful for those things that happen; good or bad. Why? Because you are still living and gaining a mess of experience to leave someone else. Not realizing that you are blessed to be alive is a bit depressing for me. Even though I don't always practice what I preach, I kind of believe that you should be grateful to be alive everyday, not just a few times a year.

The point to this is, in life, you get what you give. This isn't an absolute because sometimes God blesses me, when I don't deserve it at all. Actually, he blesses me and I don't ever deserve it. So, what should my attitude toward events such as these be? Gratefulness! I can try to make these next five days the best holiday that I've ever had, but I will surely fail. What I need to learn from life is that each new day is that, a new day. I have to live, not for the day, but live by the day. I can't do anything about tomorrow, until it comes. I can always try to prepare myself, but I shouldn't worry about investing my time in anything else other than the moment I am living in.

So, for these upcoming holidays that bring me troublesome feelings, I should just try to be thankful and appreciative that I'm another year older and hopefully wiser. What's funny about this Christmas is, I really don't even care. I'm using some of my Christmas money as gas money and whatever I get, it will be more than what I've had in the past six months. If everyone in the world could just be a little more grateful--I'm not saying it would be a better place, but I do think it would make daily living a lot easier for us all.

"Have yourself a merry, merry Christmas, have yourself a good time. But, remember the kids who got nothing, while your drinking down your wine."Father Christmas, The Kinks, from Misfits.