grumpy lumps?

Don't you find it odd how so many people turn into BigFatGrumps around this time of year? How is that again? Yea. It's weird to me too. I don't get it. I think it's pretty sad that people go into Grump mode when 'tis the season to be jolly, ya know?

Case in point: the person I share a house comes from a Jewish family. Now, I don't say this because I happen to give a rip about anyone's choice of 'faith'. Frankly, I couldn't care less. It just so happens that this particular person claims NOT to be (Jewish), yet, at every turn he manages to incorporate those teachings into his excuses for his perspective on what the rest of the world honors. In short, he's quite the biggot...on every level. So, how he perceives the holidays is both cynical and critical. Very short-sighted and utterly tunnel-visioned.

Very sad.

Anyway, this will be our second Christmas-time (sharing a house). Last year, right before Thanksgiving, he started his incessant whining. When this guy gets on a 'thing', he obsesses like nobody's business, so when I say "incessant", I'm NOT kidding. Dude can make the best soap opera actors look like amateurs.

Lucky for me, I'm good at tuning out. In one ear, out the other is pretty easy for me. Especially when the 'noise' is in said 'whiney' tone. ICK. So...

This year, when the whining began, I did what I usually do: I just tuned him out. No replies, no acknowledgment, no 'suggestion for perspective'. Just ignored him. And then, the weirdest thing happened.

He stopped. Guess he figured out that his whining was falling on deaf ears. No audience, no reason to continue. After a bit, he finally asked me about my 'silence'. I didn't respond right away. Gave it a good bit of thought before I did. And then I told him that I figured it was his choice to be all grumpy if he wanted to. His choice to view the holidays as "one big capitalistic media frenzy", as he calls it. His choice to be a grump from November til January. You wanna live in that space? Go right ahead. Enjoy your misery. Me? I'm gonna embrace what it really means...and share the joy.

Not surprisingly, his first response to this was "you live in LaLa Land. You're so naive."

LAUGHING MY ASS OFF. Yea. You're right. I do live in LaLa Land. It's much more fun here. So, who's wishing 2 months of their life away? Me or you?

Here's what I believe (as if you asked):

I believe that this time of year is the perfect opportunity to return to joy...and stay there. I believe that you can buy into the shopping frenzy OR you can just embrace the renewal of Life's cycle. I'm not talking about "the birth of Jesus Christ". (Actually, ol' JC wasn't born in December, he was born sometime in the Spring. No one knows the exact date, but it's been proven over and over: he was NOT born in December. That's a whole 'nother story....) What I AM talking about is the seasonal celebration of the Winter Solstice. The ORIGINAL reason for the season. Not the Christian version, or the 'religious' anything. Tis the season for celebrating the replenishment our Planet. Earth is resting. She's restoring energy so She may give new Life again. When the Winter has passed, She will once again sprout new buds, new life, new offerings for us to sustain ourselves and continue on.

This is what 'the season' is for me. There is no religious attachment, nor commercial obligation. The gift-giving is just an added treat, should I choose to participate (which I do...cuz it's FUN!). But I don't limit such gift-giving to this one time of year. I'm one of those "spirit of the season, all year 'round" kinda gals. I don't even take my tree down (it's artificial, and looks like a tree right out of Yosemite...VERY cool.) I just think it's ridiculous to limit ourselves to one day of the year. Why not hold those feelings every day? Works for me...

So then...the point I was trying to make (and got all side-tracked. OOPS.) was this:
as with all things in Life, YOU have the choice. You can choose to enJOY or you can choose to GRUMP. It is, after all, YOUR life.

So, how's that workin' for ya?