An Alternative To Pre-Christmas Hysteria In The Malls

If you are at all interested in keeping your sanity while the world around you seems to go mad in a shopping frenzy, do your Christmas shopping in August. One advantage aside from the obvious -lack of hordes who are all away on summer vacation- is that the sales are genuinely sales. End of August is the time when everything needs to be removed from store shelves to make way for the transition (through merchandise) from summer to fall. The markdowns guarantee that the leftover stock will clear with ease and you reap the true benefits in your wallet. The pre- Christmas sales are simply someone's clever idea of selling a mirage. In November the prices are generally higher then they need to be which allows those savy big corporations to offer us 50% off if you opt for door # 1 or the ever popular "buy one get one free" should you go for door #2. All their brilliant sublimimal messaging lulls you into a completely unrealistic state where you are certain you are actually saving! During the month of August you also have a good chance of being able to walk the entire mall without being plowed down by a runaway pram or toddler. You have no reason to duck as no one will be walking too closely beside you thus removing the threat of bodily harm which is inevitable during the pre Xmas season when the throngs juggle their oversize packages, boxes and unruly children. The other plus to the August shop is the parking lot which is easy to enter and/or exit and where you can actually find a spot. It is clear that during the Nov.-Dec. season the only one who can navigate those lots is Santa, because he doesn't drive, he flies!!

Saying Goodbye To A Friend ( L. L.)

How odd that friends from our past with whom we lose touch remain, at least in our perceptions, our friends. You move away and the day to day contact is gone but the feelings remain intact defying both time and distance. It is perhaps more difficult to handle when suddenly and with no preamble or warning your friend is gone because when you begin that inevitable road trip backward in time, you need to travel on your own. The one who could so easily corroborate all your memories is not going to be able to give testimony. Your memories need to become totally independent and must forever more stand on their own. You reminisce, you are back in Vermont, you laugh, you cry, you become wistful, you say goodbye but deep down you know that as long as you remember, there is that certain voice that you will always be able to hear.

The Visitor

He arrives at the airport and although he is 40 minutes early he makes his way to the arrivals lounge and takes up his position at the appropriate gate. He watches intently his eyes wading through the masses that seem to be like a moving tidal wave of people entering the arrivals hall from the inner sanctum of the customs area. The info board warns of a delayed flight and still he waits patiently no grumbling or agitated movements, but an inner calm below the surface masks the sheer excitement of this impending visit. As all who wait are usually rewarded so is he when the crowds suddenly part and he finally sees the face he had been searching for. A tall elegantly turned out man with a twinkling smile comes into view and the wait is over. The two men hug for several moments and to anyone watching the love is apparent. The years since they were last together and the oceans that separate them fade away as the brothers begin their reunion.

The Writer Goes West

After several years of non-stop writing his perseverence seems to have paid off...finally! In matters of discipline, the writer is an expert and no matter how dire the circumstances the writing never wavered. Time was found when none seemed available and somehow the writing continued. Dry spells were ignored before they had a chance to rear their heads and so it went, for years. The writer and his small but loyal coterie of supporters never once doubted that success would be his but they were not clear about the timelines. If he is nothing else, our writer is modest to a fault which has proved an invaluable quality when one considers the disadvantages to the swelled head syndrome. Only in fables of long ago might one find a moral to prove that big heads have their uses so since this is today the writer simply packs up his writing gear, gets those bags backed and heads off to a small island of his destiny, in the west.
Bon Voyage!

What To Do When The Road Is Finally Paved (D.M.N).

You feel as if you have been living in a war zone. Not only have you been dodging a multitude of roadblocks (see stockades)but the intolerable noise factor makes you wonder if the daily intrigue you've undergone in order to leave and/or return to your home each and every day for the past 8 weeks is worth waging personal transportation war over. You had begun to ponder living elsewhere for the duration when just as suddenly as they invaded all the trucks are gone and the street has been returned to you; peace and quiet miraculously restored. Unlike a post battle scene there are no visible scars to bear witness to the siegelike state in which you had been dwelling and although you find it hard to believe, the artillary noises have not left any permanent dents in your hearing. What stretches before you like an amazing vista (that is if you are an admirer of cement and tar) is a beautifully flat paved road. It is in fact so perfect that you are hesitant to drive on it, walk your baby in his pram or even use your bicycle lest you leave any tire marks. Digging out your old nearly worn fuzzy slippers you you put them on, go out the front door and gingerly take your first steps onto the 'new' surface. You begin to walk, (almost on tiptoes) and suddenly the street that seconds earlier had been sooo silent, is teeming with neighbours you'd forgotten you had while the war raged, you barely hear their footsteps as they shuffle along smiling at their good fortune, they have won back their street. You quickly glance down and notice that everyone is shod as you are, almost like post traumatic syndrome behaviour it seems that you are all reluctant to mar the pristine patina of the street where you live. Suddenly you all turn at the sound of a strange noise you can't quite identify which has broken the hushed tones that had prevailed until this point in time; then you see him, your neighbour the firefighter. He is bravely wending his way down the street on ROLLERBLADES!!!!

Taking A Break/Making A Change

At some time or other everyone needs a break from something. This can be as simple as a deviation or two in our day to day routines, as radical as a career change, a leave of absence or as simple as a change of address. Whatever needs taking a break from should be treated as a priority. How odd that we often procrastinate when faced with things we 'must' do that are the even the slightest bit 'difficult' and whose outcomes are uncertain. When our list of 'to dos" exceeds the size of our 'don't want to dos' it is clearly tme to revisit our situations and make at least a few changes that would alter the negative ratio. Kick boxing is a little known source for boosting our combative skills and may help us 'tackle' at least a few of those things we have been keeping on the back burner. You can try Tai Chi, Yoga or just plain walking but whatever you decide, make that change and/or take that break NOW! You CAN do it!!!

Click Click Click

Guess what causes the "click click clicks" that you hear even in a noisy crowded room from someone seated across and two seats over from you. Use your imagination but know, even if you do figure it out, the constant sighs intermingled with the endless clicks, were rather annoying and distasteful to say the very least. It's not as if you can turn to the click clicker and request that he cease all further clicking because (a) that would be rude and (b) it is quite possible that the clicks are involuntary. It is when you come to suspect that the click click clicker is completely unaware that his click clicks are disturbing, that you change your mind-set. Suddenly you feel empathetic and each click click click instead of causing you to erupt into nervous laughter, has you thinking about how best to deal with the invasion of your hearing sphere. You come upon the ingenius plan of holding your thumb over the opening of your ear, the one closest to the clicker. This proves effective in blocking out the sounds and your evening can proceed with nary a click click click click to bother you. CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK!