It is New Year’s day and what’s left of the Christmas tree is in a snow bank by the back door.
It had a good run. It shed at least half its needles as I removed ornaments mainly because I had a heck of a time getting some of the lights off. A month ago, when I strung them, I carefully wrapped each branch, continuing to add extra strings as I worked my way up and around the crooked balsam. It seemed like a good idea at the time. This morning, I tried to unwrap the darn things in some logical fashion but ended up simply stripping some of the branches of their needles as I pulling the strings off the ends. It wasn’t pretty. I apologized to the tree’s ghost with each tug.
Putting Christmas away is never as much fun as putting it up. Even so, it feels good and right have things back to whatever “normal” is. New Year’s day is good for getting our literal and figurative houses in order, isn’t it? Maybe that’s why people make resolutions as they wrestle with lights and vacuum up pine needles.
This year, I will strive to drop fewer F-bombs (even the silent ones.)
I will read more books and fewer Twitter feeds (which will, no doubt, help with that pesky F-bomb issue.)
I will watch more sunrises and less morning cable news.
I will sit in the sunshine whenever possible. Even in January in Minnesota. Even it means sitting in my warm car in the Walmart parking lot like a pale, shriveled up junkie and letting the sun hit my face for several precious moments before I go in.
Finally, I will be grateful and present and will give myself a break for being human which can be a challenge for pale, shriveled, sun-deprived, humans, especially. Especially in January in Minnesota.
That’s what I came up with, anyway. Maybe your goals are loftier than mine.
So here’s to 2018, whatever it brings.
And Happy New Year!
The Loon Whisperer 