This Christmas we decided not to get a tree, and other than hanging the wreath on our door we haven't decorated at all. I really haven't felt like doing much of anything, and today we went and bought the few small gifts for the kids in the family, and quite frankly there wasn't much feeling at all about it. Pretty much just, Eh! That will be Ok, whatever.
Then on to grocery shopping. The regular store didn't have ripe bananas so i went out later just for that. So I'm in a hurry and the store is crowded, and this is third grocery store I have been to today, so I'm frustrated, and tired of being around people. I just need some bananas. A Young mother with three kids is blocking one side of the isle, and an older lady who can't decide which peanut butter to buy is blocking the other. I turn around and try anther isle, and it is blocked by a a man in his thirties, with a little girl about five hanging onto the side of the cart. I groan almost audibly, thinking "just move off to one side"
Then he finally starts walking, and immediately I regret even my inward groan. His steps are shuffling, barely able to lift his feet. I have seen this before with someone who has had a stroke or some sort of debilitating neurological disease, or a brain injury that required a lot of physical therapy to learn to walk again. He is struggling, it's obvious that he has to think about each step, place each foot carefully.
I realize how fortunate I am, zipping through the grocery store like I am running a marathon. I slow down and think about that for a minute, how much I take even the aggravation of shopping for granted, then I'm back to my high speed shopping. I'm at the one store I rarely go to that has several things I can't find somewhere else, so I decide to pick up a few other things before I work my way towards the fruit section.
I decide on about five or six oddball items, the bananas I came for, and check out quickly and am glad now I can go home. But at the door another human roadblock, three or four people are waiting to get out. The same guy with the walking difficulty is blocking the door, digging in his pocket, then finally brings his hand out and hands the little girl some change, which she puts in the bucket for the Salvation Army. As they are walking off, I hear her ask her shuffling father "Why do we give them money?" He says "It's to help people less fortunate than us"
As I'm driving home those word replay in my head, and I think about how little I feel for Christmas, By which I mean lights and carols and trees and wrapping paper and eggnog. And I realize that for me that I just saw the Christmas spirit in action, instead of what I so often mistake for all the warm cozy nostalgic feelings of Christmas past. Merry Christmas!, (and if you don't do Christmas, then please insert whatever seasonal greeting is appropriate, and have a happy one of those!)
Then on to grocery shopping. The regular store didn't have ripe bananas so i went out later just for that. So I'm in a hurry and the store is crowded, and this is third grocery store I have been to today, so I'm frustrated, and tired of being around people. I just need some bananas. A Young mother with three kids is blocking one side of the isle, and an older lady who can't decide which peanut butter to buy is blocking the other. I turn around and try anther isle, and it is blocked by a a man in his thirties, with a little girl about five hanging onto the side of the cart. I groan almost audibly, thinking "just move off to one side"
Then he finally starts walking, and immediately I regret even my inward groan. His steps are shuffling, barely able to lift his feet. I have seen this before with someone who has had a stroke or some sort of debilitating neurological disease, or a brain injury that required a lot of physical therapy to learn to walk again. He is struggling, it's obvious that he has to think about each step, place each foot carefully.
I realize how fortunate I am, zipping through the grocery store like I am running a marathon. I slow down and think about that for a minute, how much I take even the aggravation of shopping for granted, then I'm back to my high speed shopping. I'm at the one store I rarely go to that has several things I can't find somewhere else, so I decide to pick up a few other things before I work my way towards the fruit section.
I decide on about five or six oddball items, the bananas I came for, and check out quickly and am glad now I can go home. But at the door another human roadblock, three or four people are waiting to get out. The same guy with the walking difficulty is blocking the door, digging in his pocket, then finally brings his hand out and hands the little girl some change, which she puts in the bucket for the Salvation Army. As they are walking off, I hear her ask her shuffling father "Why do we give them money?" He says "It's to help people less fortunate than us"
As I'm driving home those word replay in my head, and I think about how little I feel for Christmas, By which I mean lights and carols and trees and wrapping paper and eggnog. And I realize that for me that I just saw the Christmas spirit in action, instead of what I so often mistake for all the warm cozy nostalgic feelings of Christmas past. Merry Christmas!, (and if you don't do Christmas, then please insert whatever seasonal greeting is appropriate, and have a happy one of those!)
