Sleigh bells ringing? Let it snow, let it snow? White christmas.?....grama got run over by a reindeer? No wonder it doesnt feel like christmas to me- the music doesn't fit! I'm sure there must be some sort of palm tree song or coconuts roasting in a barbeque pit song or something...i just haven't found them...
I awoke to a clear, blue sky with a light breeze blowing and pink flamingos grazing in the lagoon ( none of them were wearing santa hats...). Barefoot, in my shorts, opened the front door and said to the dog " Lucky, I don't think we're in Portland anymore...". he's never been there so he didn't get it. He just looked at me and wagged his tail...Last year was our first christmas away from our family and friends. it was a little tough. the mother of one of the guys who worked for us made us scarves and i cried. These people live in a stone house with dirt floors and gave us gifts. This year, i had a list of 18 people that i made things for. In some cases it was just a card ( which I made..finding a box of cards proved difficult), like for the nice guy at the gas station or the young family at the lavenderia (laundry) or the man who delivers our water. The point is, we've made friends and acquaintances here. In a year, we've built a community for ourselves.
One of these people is our neighbor. Some of you know we've been taking care of a woman who had hip surgery. While we have returned to our house ( after a 30 day stay at hers ), our duties continue. She can't drive for 3 months so we have to do her shopping for her and yesterday we needed to pick up her flat screen TV that had been repaired. To do this, she had us drive her truck... It is a grand behemoth of a thing ( behemoth:"something of oppressive or monstrous size or power"). Navigating the streets of Merida, while NOTHING compared to the near death experience of commuting in India, is a wild ride and navigating through it in a land yacht was indeed exhilerating. I am happy to report the truck, our bodies and the flat screen all made it home safe and sound in addition to the numerous bags of food we brought back from Wal-Mart. Speaking of which- Wal Mart- 2 days before Christmas...and we were there! OMG! I thought my head would explode. With a throbbing headache and a stomache that was screaming " get to the bathroom NOW!!" we attempted to fulfill our 'patients" food requirements. Ruffles potatoe chips, Campbells tomato soup, Heinz catsup...where are we? i dont know where these items are..i don't buy them. We also had to do our own shopping so with two carts and mobs of people, we tried to maneuver around the masses while blaring Regaeton music pulsated through us. Even louder announcements spewed out through an intercom system which was turned up to the max so they could be heard over the music.....whew...gave me PTSD just telling you about it......
On the way in, i drove. One of Johns customary habits while driving is heavy and regular use of the windshield squirters. Its very important to him that he have maximum visibility. I, on the other hand, am annoyed by this. I can see fine UNTIL the squirters shoot water all over the windshield turning it into a brackish mess as you wait for it to clear, silently praying there isn't a bicyclist, pedestrian or village dog who has picked that particular moment to cross our path.. We discussed this difference as we drove after John reached over to apply the washers. ' No! I'm driving and i say no to the squirting. I can see fine." " But theres dirt on the windshield". I pondered this..I can see just fine. I look through the dirt. He focuses on the dirt and therefor can't really see the road ahead. This is very telling about our general outlooks on life. Even though things can be a bit messy, cloudy, murky, dark, dusty, blurry ( interject adjective of choice) sometimes, I can see it as temporary. The path ahead is there i just need to stay on it. If i focused on the dirt, I would miss the trees, the clouds, the roadkill....I ignore the dirt and see what is out there, beyond it. Others ( John in this case) only sees the dirt. The dirt obscures everything else and only when its removed can he take in what lies beyond.
With a new year rapidly approaching, I am going to keep this in mind when it comes to people. I am going to focus on what lies beyond the dirt. We all have habits that are less than endearing. Maybe its a belief i disagree with or a value that isn't mine. I want to try to look beyond that into a persons heart. We all have baggage and we are all, whether we like it or not, creatures of our upbringing. We can change and get rid of a lot of that if thats what we want, but traces of it remain. Does that make us bad? Evil? Rotten to the core? It makes us human.
In my minds eye, i am traveling down the road into 2012 where endless possibilities await. No squirters on, listening to " coconuts roasting on an open fire....flamingos nipping at your nose...." Happy Holidays everyone
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