priceless

Today as I ventured into Walmart to get a few groceries and the Christmas music was blaring over head as the clerks packed out boxes and boxes of Christmas stuff onto the shelves, I found myself wishing that life would just slow down.  We have not even had time to relish the fall season, the leaves falling, the crisp morning air…we haven’t even had Thanksgiving yet and already Christmas is being advertised, Christmas parties planned.  Each year I find myself dreading the season because I always overeat, over spend, over commit.  This year I won’t.  My finances, my health, and my desire to have time to write and relax have caused me to sit back and re-evaluate what’s important and what is not.  I am determined to have the best Christmas ever.    One where I don’t beat myself up for the weight I gain, the money I spend or the activities I really don’t want to participate in but do because it’s expected.

This year we will do Christmas Eve as usual, though at a different house.  This year we won’t drive ourselves crazy and spend money we don’t have by drawing names between family members  that we love but really don’t have enough contact with to know what they would like.  Seems like every year it gets to be more and more of a gift card exchange.  This year we will keep some traditions, like dirty Santa Bingo , bring back some traditions, like the piñata and let some things go, like the gift exchange.  This year we are going to play more games and just have a fun time together.  Other than the dirty Santa bingo gift and  bringing some food to share, no one will have the added stress of the shopping and spending money they can’t afford to spend.  

I can’ t wait to decorate Christmas cookies with Eric and Anna and hopefully this year my great nephews Cooper and Carter can join in.  Anna and I are planning a puppet show…..and my gift to her each year is to do a Christmas craft with her.  So much fun….my boys are grown, no grandkids yet, but I have nieces and nephews that think I’m pretty awesome and love to hang out with me. This year, I’m actually looking forward to Christmas, though I am sad that Chris and Juliet won’t be there this year.  But I’m also happy that Juliet will get to see her family this year;  she is so much a part of ours that I forget sometimes that she has a family that loves her as much as we do.

This year will be a first Christmas together for Joe and I…..who knows maybe we will even marry before then……..what fun it will be to have someone to drive around with and look at Christmas lights.  Something so simple.   I’ve missed that. 

 But while I look forward to Christmas, I am not ready for it to be here. I want to enjoy the fall for a while longer.  I haven’t even had hot chocolate yet.  Whats the rush.  I still have leaves on my trees.  I still have a Thanksgiving trip to Austin to see Chris and Juliet and my brother  Jimmy and his family to look forward to. 

Last weekend, a neighbor was putting up Christmas lights.  The day before Halloween.    What’s the rush I wanted to shout at him…..Its still October!    I’ve had to slow down this week.   My health concerns brought me to a complete halt.  Maybe that was what it took to get my attention.  For me to stop a minute and say, you know, its ok to breathe and relax and let the pace of life slow down a bit.  I did a lot of thinking this week.  About life.  About what the people around me would feel if I weren’t here.  About what I spend my time doing, what ‘s important to me.  And I realized that if I were told I had one week to live I would spend it just hanging out with the people I love.  Sure there are places I’d love to see and things I’d like to experience.  But none more valuable to me than the relationships I have with the people I love.

The saying about the best things in life being free is so true.  Never thought about it before that much.  But the older I get, the more I understand the meaning.    It’s like the Visa commercial.  You can take an put a value on most material things in this life.   But some things are simply priceless. 

Re-connecting with classmates from 35 years ago    priceless

Falling in love just when I had decided it wasn’t worth it   priceless

Knowing I have people who love me and would do anything for me  priceless

Spending time with family   priceless

Opportunities to do my comedy routine    priceless

Unshakeable faith   priceless

May you find your priceless treasures and fill you life with them.