Jim Hare classic posts Archives

THE Holiday

OK, I've poured the coffee and given up the bed. Awakeness at the
keyboard has more to recommend it than watching sheep thoughts
in bed tonight. That's not a reference to be*stiality, by the way, but a
mixed metaphor of meditation and sleep induction that leads
through the mystery theme-park Tunnel of Dreams and emerges
directly into the daylight of tomorrow, to yet another day. But when
the sheepskin-dressed images, on momentum from an unconscious
day, herd through the mind in such alarming array, then it is best for
me to get up and make word music at the alphabet keyboard to see if
I can create a melody stream of peaceful resonance that eases the
mind. That way I'll get another few hours of sleep that add up to
eight.

For my birthday yesterday, Sharon got me a Junior Metal Detector
and a bottle of Milagro Tequila. I like the name. It reminds me of
the Milagro Beanfield War book on tape with Cheech Marin. I read
the book too, but I love the tape. The tequila is neither gold nor
silver, but a soft, pale in-between, and easy enough to sip. The
metal detector I will use to play with Jack, take him to the beach and
find bottle caps and paper clips, I suppose; sneak a few coins into
the sand and pretend to find them. Everybody loves finding treasure.
For myself, I bought a tin of Spam. I had a spam tostada for dinner.
I am a man of simple tastes and would have settled for the Spam
alone, but my Sharon knows me well and has stoked two of my great
loves with her gifts; my grandson and mood elevation.

And here's a funny tradition about birthdays. The family gives you a
break from demands. On your birthday, they seem to notice all the
little things they require of you, which can't be all that important,
really, because they say, "It's your birthday, you decide." or "It's your
birthday, you don't have to if you don't want to." Well, why not all
the time then? So what does that mean for the other 364 days?
..."Doesn't matter if you want to or not, do it anyway!...welcome back
to the life of unbirthday."

In Alice in Wonderland, the Mad Hatter celebrated unbirthdays! I like
that. We should treat each other every day like it is our birthday,
relaxing demands and allowing choice to those we normally join a
state of control. Imagine! I'm on the verge of an essay, so I'll stop
with that.

And now it is Christmas morning. Behind me are the presents,
unopened...only because I resisted Sharon, who would open all
presents upon arrival. Anticipation is much stronger in Sharon than
delayed gratification, and it tickles me to make her wait. She bought
the stuff, but we'll pretend it is for both of us (which it probably will
be). Sharon's Kindle electronic book reader is on back order, and so
are her crown jewels and palace. The book reader will ship in March,
the other things sometime in the next century (There is a big
demand for royal stuff).

The rest of the family is back in California, and will be running back
and forth from this household or that in a wonderful frenzy of
shredded wrapping paper, while we read the newspaper and pack up
the Christmas stuff (that we haven't given away), with no needle-
shedding pine to toss out.

In another week, I'll be NOT making another list of resolutions and
struggling to remember the right date on checks.

Merry and Happy to all!