transition to New Year's

Between Christmas and New Year's is a full week where you have to get your head back around from one type of holiday to another. (Does anyone out there also experience the weird let-down after Christmas where you feel at loose ends and deeply melancholy?)

I haven't decided on any resolutions for the new year. I haven't done any serious ones in a few years because if I need to do something big, I just commit to it. I may need a specific date, but it can be any specific date, not Jan 1. But I've been thinking about decluttering as a goal for the coming year. I've been doing a lot of it the past year, but continuing would be most useful. And write more. I always want to write more. That isn't a new resolution, it is a forever resolution. What's everyone else doing?

Merry Christmas

For those celebrating, I hope you're having a wonderful -- whether you are with family, or friends, or even by yourself and taking some space to finally breathe. May your day be peaceful.

Are you ready for Christmas?

This seems to be the thought on everyone mind lately -- I've been running various errands around town and mostly this is the opening question from everyone I'm interacting with. Sometimes they ask it with a touch of humor, but there's also a hint of tightness around their eyes -- this is a very stressful holiday!

Going into the last weekend before the holiday, I hope everyone out there who is celebrating can get all their tasks done, on time and on budget! Good luck!

Christmas story

A Piece of Ourselves, a Christmas story I wrote, and published last year, is on sale at Mischief Corner Books, here's the link:
https://www.mischiefcornerbooks.com/store/p138/A_Piece_of_Ourselves.html

I always loved this story because of the element in it about family dynamics. There's subtle drama in how people get along, because that's how a lot of it happens in real life. There are no hysterics, just people dealing with tough family relationships. You love people but they drive you around the bend!

Here's the blurb:

Balancing holidays between two families can make cheerful celebrations into chores. Carson Benedetti's mom has overscheduled the Christmas holidays and she's more than insistent that boyfriend Tynan Harris come into the family fold. There's so much to do Tynan can't find time to bring Carson over to his own family and he feels like they are being left in the dust.

​After dating for nine months, and with their relationship becoming more serious, Tynan's patience is sorely tested by the multitude of Benedetti family traditions keeping them busy. Tynan needs to figure out how to find some breathing room, split their time more fairly, and make Christmas more than just tradition by rote.

steam from a cup of tea

The light is just right for me to see the steam coming off a fresh cup of tea that I've just made. I had the ceiling fan going to disperse the heat in the room, but I've turned it off because the steam was twirling away so fast, and now it isn't blowing away at an angle, but twisting straight up, as if it were a flame, but ethereal and misty white. I shouldn't be this captivated by it, but I am. I know it won't steam for too long. Right now it is too hot to drink, but soon the steam will cease because the tea will have cooled, and I'll be able to drink the tea and enjoy it, but the pleasure of watching the steam will be lost.

brrr: super cold

I could do without the crazy cold! I remember the last time it was so cold out that memes were flying about how how your face shouldn't hurt just to be outside and the air shouldn't be so cold that your chest hurt. In total agreement on that.

Sunday evenings are always a little tough

Knowing there is work again tomorrow always makes Sunday evenings a little difficult. I take stock of what I got done (never enough) and what still needs to be done (always too much) and know that I won't have the energy to get to those things until next weekend.

I did get a little editing done this weekend, so that was a good thing. Next weekend, maybe I'll aim for writing more than massaging. Good to have goals!