The Holidays Are Over! Five Reasons To Rejoice
Tuesday, January 3, 2012 at 1:16PM Back home! We travel this time of year, every year, to my side of the family. Nothing makes me appreciate the cozy comforts of home more than the hassles of being away. Be it ever so humble, there’s no place like home. Home, home, sweet, sweet home! John Howard Payne (1791-1852)
Reunion with the pooch! She loves her visits to Camp Stephanie, where she’s known as The Little Flower. But when we pick her up, the wagging tail, the grin, and the running around in circles while moaning all sing, Hail, hail, the gang’s all here! Dog love rights all wrongs, makes boo boos better, tilts the world's axis back into place.
Solitude. Don’t get me wrong. I love Hubby and Son dearly, it’s great to see family, and I wouldn’t be a shrink if I didn’t feel for humanity. But a week of cohabitating in a little hotel room when not carefully visiting with one relative or another, bracketed by travel in planes packed like the New York City subway during rush hour is enough togetherness already. I vant to be alone. Greta Garbo (1905-1990), from the film Grand Hotel.
Plain home-cooking, small portions please. My mouth could eat festive holiday feasts and rich sweets forever, but my gut has had enough: Mercy! Uncle! Take pity! OK, OK. Time to shift back to food as fuel, ramp up the exercise and beat the bloat. There is more to life than eating, right? Writing, for example. Dancing. Right. Left. Right, left, right…. Ahhhh. Hurts so good.
Routine. Between work, home and noise in my head, I've got enough going on without the holiday hoopla. And judging from the increased number of SOS pages from patients, they do too. I love my boring life. And I love it so much more, with a deep gratitude, after suffering a bout of the holidays.
Here's to peace and quiet in the new year!
Reader Comments (3)
Although my family is close by so I was able to stick close to my pup, I'm with you on the rest of it! A bit soft around the belly, surrounded by large college kids who won't go away for another two weeks, with strange Mondays off of work, I am ready to get back to it! Baked chicken and veg, extra yoga classes, and a weekend off in the country would suit me just fine. Except for the weekend away, I think I can manage the rest; I'll have to go away in my dreams . . .
Give pooch a pat for me,
Jeannette
Well said, as usual ;) Happy New Year!!!
Hear! Hear! or is it Here! Here! My guffaw in response to the Solitude paragraph was too rowdy for people who live in a place with conjoined walls. I'm sure there is a Greek diagnostic term and corresponding code for People Who Hate Holidays -- but that's your department. Only in the safe bosom of close friends do I admit being of that politically incorrect persuasion. Having recently returned from Holiday Visits myself, I bask in this peaceful alone-ness with my cat. Ah, Home! Even Bibbs may have noticed that I had been away, that I am not the same solicitous staff member who had been doing tai chi with her, brushing her, activating her laser-toy, cleaning her box, tending her fountain and feeding her throughout the preceding week. Now I have returned to warm up the bed for her at night while I read Westlake. Ah, Home!