a new year

2010 is rapidly approaching.  

2009 probably won’t stand out as a particularly memorable one, but still there were many changes along the way.   A new position in Creative.  A new devotion to yoga and meditation.  A new outlook on life balance.  A new canine friend.

Small, in the big scope of things, but positive.  I hope to see that momentum continue in 2010…

 

you can’t take the child out of Christmas

It’s not Christmas without Erma Bombeck’s column:

There is nothing sadder in this world than to awake Christmas morning and not be a child. Not to feel the cold on your bare feet as you rush to the Christmas tree in the living room. Not to have your eyes sparkle at the wonderment of discovery. Not to rip the ribbons off the shiny boxes with such abandon. What happened? When did the cold, bare feet give way to reason and a pair of sensible bedroom slippers? When did the sparkle and the wonderment give way to depression of a long day? When did a box with a shiny ribbon mean an item on the “charge?”  A child of Christmas doesn’t have to be a toddler or a teen. A child of Christmas is anyone who believes that Kings have birthdays. The Christmases you loved so well are gone. What happened? Maybe they diminished the year you decided to have your Christmas cards printed to send to 1,500 of your “closest friends and dearest obligations.” You got too busy to sign your own name. Maybe it was the year you discovered the traditional Christmas tree was a fire hazard and the needles had to be vacuumed every three hours and you traded its holiday aroma for a silver one that revolved, changed colors, played “Silent Night” and snowed on itself. Or the year it got to be too much trouble to sit around the table and put popcorn and cranberries on a string. Possibly you lost your childhood the year you solved your gift problems neatly and coldly with a checkbook. Think about it. It might have been the year you were too rushed to bake and resorted to slice-and-bake with no nonsense. Who needs a bowl to clean — or lick? Most likely it was the year you were so efficient in paying back all your party obligations. A wonderful little caterer did it for you for $3 per person. Children of Christmas are givers. That’s what the day is for. They give thanks, love, gratitude, joy and themselves to one another. It doesn’t necessarily mean you have to have children around a tree. It’s rather like lighting a candle you’ve been saving, caroling when your feet are cold, building a fire in a clean grate, grinding tinsel deep into the rug, licking frosting off a beater, giving something you made yourself. It’s laughter, being with people you like, and at some time falling to your knees and saying, “Thank You for coming to my birthday party.” How sad indeed to awake on Christmas and not be a child. Time, self-pity, apathy, bitterness and exhaustion can take the Christmas out of the child, but you cannot take the child out of Christmas.

 

an oboe, a corgi, and snow

Being snowed in can be a good thing.  If you have the basic necessities.  Like oboe music, a clean, silky Corgi, a great cup of coffee, and a stunning landscape of sparkling white snow.

It’s difficult to tell how much snow we got yesterday…  reports are that it was about 16″, give or take.  The wind created large drifts in some places and smoothed it out in others.

The timing was perfect.  At the start of a weekend.  No particular plans.  All my Christmas shopping done.  And a new Corgi at my side.

No doubt 16″ inches of snow will look quite different to me in about a week, but for now, I’m just going to sit back, pour another cup of coffee, give another tummy rub, and enjoy it.

 

it’s better to give…

It’s better to give than receive.  We all know this instinctually.  Then why can giving be so difficult at times?

I don’t mean charitable giving.  I’m really talking about the people you know and love the most.  Loved ones that we want to thrill in finding just the right gift…  by knowing them so well that you can predict their level of excitement for this gift.  But that often escapes me.

I could chalk that up to me being a terrible shopper.   Or to not being attentive enough to the wants and needs of others.  But in reality, I believe it is the current state of the world we live in.  We consume.  We buy what we want, when we want it.  It makes it very difficult to delight someone with a gift.

In the movie Enchanted April, one of the commoners said to a priviledged woman who arranged for her own comfort

It’s nice to know what you want.  But you shouldn’t deny someone the chance to do something nice for you.

 

dylan is going home…

Dylan has entered our lives. An adorable Corgi.  

So many signs seemed to indicate that the time was right for getting the Corgi that we spend so much time talking about but not acting on. A couple of weeks ago, on my birthday weekend in Bucks County, we ran into a fine Corgi specimen. It was the sign of luck for the following year. And last weekend, while out for a walk in a preserve, we encountered another Corgi, Brandy, who took a real liking to me. Just remembering that encounter during the week made me smile.

So, when the SPCA came up in a google search that seemed totally unrelated, I was curious enough to see if they had a Corgi. Unlikely. But, there was Dylan. His parents were divorcing and moving. He was three years old. I didn’t even tell Tom right away. But when I did, he insisted that we should go see him first thing in the morning.

And we went prepared. With some basic dog needs in the back that we bought along the way. We suspected, honestly, that Dylan was already gone. But, no. He was still there.

What a beautiful announcement the volunteer made over the loud-speaker to the rest of the dogs and workers… “Dylan is going home!”

 

there’s no reason we can’t have fun

“Don’t take life so seriously, it ain’t nohow permanent.”  Walt Kellly the cartoonist originally said that.

Maybe I’ve just become more pragmatic as I get older.  Or maybe our society has become too productive.  Too efficient.  Too focused.  Too consumed.

But I like the teachings that we are meant to be happy, and wonder why we don’t spend more time focused on achieving that.

 

a beautiful birthday weekend

Bucks County.  What a beautiful spot.  Tom took me there on a spontaneous weekend trip.  Very spontaneous.  No reservations.  Decided to go and one hour later had some things thrown in a bag for an overnight stay.

The bright sunny weekend was the perfect backdrop for the wonderful views of Bucks County.  I’m enamored with walking trails, and the area along the Delaware River by New Hope is one long, never-ending (or it seems like it) walking path.  Thanks to the canal system where horses used to pull barges up the canal along those trails.

Charming Inns and rustic homes line the drive.  Antique shops and restaurants are everywhere.  We stayed in a cute little borough called Stockton, NJ.  Just a handful of buildings made up the town.  After settling in, we walked the length of the town, and crossed the bridge over to the PA side, investigating our dinner choices.  The two Inns had cozy and well-appointed dining rooms, already lit festively for the holidays.  The local firehouse as an interesting option, and one of the firemen enthusiastically encouraged us to attend their spaghetti dinner (homemade meatballs, garlic bread, salad, cannoli and cookies) to help them raise money for a new truck.  The “garage” of the firehouse was decked out with folding tables covered with white plastic table clothes in the bright and functional surroundings.  If gregariousness alone were swaying our decision, that is where we would have dined.

But then we passed a Sicilian restaurant.  The perfect atmosphere.  Warm, cozy, friendly, all at the same time.  That is where we returned.  The couple sitting next to us were retired and had been coming to this restaurant for 3 years.  You can’t get a better recommendation than that.  We had an expansive dinner (in terms of time), starting with calamari.  I don’t think I’ve ever praised marinara sauce, but this was wonderful – made fresh, with chunks of tomato and not at all heavy.  Then we shared a Cesar salad.   And lastly we had a pizza with sautéed peppers, artichoke hearts, mozzarella, and prosciutto.  Heaven.  We couldn’t finish it all, and the server sent us home with leftovers and some birthday cannoli.

A long stroll the next morning after breakfast was the ideal end to our stay in Stockton.  And encountering a Corgi ensured not only a good day — but a good year ahead.

 

what a difference a year makes

Sometimes we get in a routine and the months pass with a repetitive flow.  Or at least they seem to at the time.

Last year, we had an early snow that arrived on my birthday.  It made for a magical trip to the Inn in Lancaster that Tom had chosen for a celebration.  We dug out the winter boots, gloves and scarves and pictured ourselves snuggled in front of the fire in our room.  Rather, the fireplace (sans fire) in our room.  It was memorable none the less.

The warm fall day that we enjoyed this year was a striking contrast.  An impromptu trip to Burks County was every bit as enjoyable surrounded by the scenes of fall rather than winter.  The water on the Delaware canal sparkled with the warm hues of gold.  Long walks and sunglasses were called for.

Just as the November weather was not routine, neither were the 12 months in between.  Last year, we had just rolled out a new organization at QVC.  One that would significantly change the way we work.  The country entered into a serious financial crisis that impacted the business as well.  And we undertook some strategic projects to better position the business for the future.  A pretty amazing year.  We came out of it stronger than we went in, as we predicted we would — both from a business perspective, and a leadership perspective.  Not a scenario I would want to repeat every year, but definitely one for the books.  There is something to be said for working under pressure.

A lot can happen in 12 months.

 

fall

Fall is possibly my favorite season.  The explosion of color in the hills.  The freshness to the air. Enjoying cozy sweaters without the bracing chill that comes with winter.  Stew.  A fire outside on the deck.  Grape harvest.

Fall is the season that I want to last longer, while I postpone the shortening of the days.  The darkness of the season.

Growing up, fall meant going back to school and college, which I loved.  It meant apples and pumpkins, and brussel sprouts.  It meant football games and bon fires.  It meant a better color palette.

As I’ve grown up, I have come to associate it with traveling.  September and October have become our favorite months for travel.  The crowds are fewer, but the days just as warm.  One such trip was the inspiration for our marriage in Venice.

As we drove through the West Chester country side this weekend, on a spectacular fall day.  I couldn’t help but think that I could describe all of the important colors in the hue of the foliage.  Red.  Orange.  Yellow.  Green.   Blue was covered with the brilliant sky.  White was represented by the stark birch trees that are more inspiring in the winter than the summer.   Sounds like a great photo project for my list.

 

giving thanks

Thanksgiving is a great idea.  But poorly executed on my part.  Working in retail has completely altered my outlook on Thanksgiving and changed my ability to really enjoy the holiday as it is intended.

But that doesn’t stop me from being thankful.  The list is long:

 

Health… so taken for granted

Love… a husband who makes me feel completely and totally loved

Curiosity… an inquiring mind and a love of learning

A sister… with great devotion to caring for our Mom

Choices… freedom – personal and financial –  that allows us to control our lives

Happiness… enjoying the ride

Parents… that made me believe I could be anything I wanted to be

Friends… from High School, from other countries, from every new place we’ve lived

Creativity… pursuing pleasures that interest me and enjoying a unique perspective

I’m thankful for all the things that make us, us.