Actually, it's the season to sit back and watch while people are busy beating the living crap out of each other over a bag of brussels sprouts. Now-that was this morning, while the lines for payment were so huge you would think there was a famine. One bag of sprouts, two idiots fighting-I like sprouts, but not enough to get arrested for assault. On Christmas Eve, yet!
So many people are using this time to fight. Even the idiots in the government are fighting. Perhaps we should change today's name to Tosser Thursday. I don't even get upset anymore; I just shake my head in disbelief and watch ordinary people suddenly turn into savages. And I stay home, if I can.
This is-you wouldn't believe it if you watch the "news" (or, rather, the newsreaders' opinion, usually having nothing to do with any news whatsoever), or hear people talking outside, sometimes loud enough to burst your eardrums - a time when some people (myself included) become very soppy and sentimental. I begin to look back at the year and wonder where the time went, and wonder (with amazement) how I am still alive (and, occasionally, thriving). I find myself developing a sudden case of what I call "Christmas OCD": what have I accomplished, apart from not dying? That is obviously quite an accomplishment-for me, anyway-but I have done precious little-apart from all those hospital appointments.Huh. Once again, I haven't had a life. I've survived-but I haven't lived. Not really.
If I ignore what is going on in the world - not an easy feat, considering I am very political, and I get hugely pissed off (and there goes another pound into the swear box/Bahamas fund) at the government, at the implosion of the NHS, and the dire state of this country (it wasn't like this when I first came over here. That isn't what I call progress; it is what I call regress). It's very frustrating when you know that you can't really do anything to change things, because apathy is what rules here.Ick.
I've been thinking about the year that is just ending-and I've decided (again) not to start the new year in the way I'm finishing this one. I was in the supermarket this morning, watching the sprout fight (and laughing, I confess), and one of the sales people said to me that there are three things she doesn't ever worry about: the weather, traffic (absolutely nothing to be done to change either of those, is there?), and other people's opinions and attitudes. Very wise-I don't know why she said that-it was out of the blue-but obviously it was something I needed to hear at the time. I most definitely heard her. There is a lesson in there somewhere...
Well, the cards and presents are out, the Christmas lights are up (I told you: I'm sentimental), I'm already thinking about how I am going to start living in 2016, and tomorrow I am going to one of the local churches to help with feeding 80 people who have no place to go on Christmas Day. These are older people whose children (in some cases) are busy, or just don't want them around; there are some who are homeless; there are some who have no family at all. I used to do this years ago, but then Gentamicin 2010 happened, and I couldn't do anything. Now I feel like I can carry two full plates of food and not drop one (or both) on someone's head.
Wouldn't that put a damper on someone's Christmas! I see waiters and waitresses who can carry plates of food all the way up their arms and not drop anything-and I have to admire them. In fact, I'm a bit jealous. I couldn't even do that when I still had a balance mechanism. So when I rang around three weeks ago, found a church that's doing Christmas lunch for the -what, aged? Needy? I don't even want to put a negative label on them - I told them that I can do a lot, but not everything. I could feel them practically jumping up and down as we were talking on the phone.
I will be spending the day peeling sprouts (I'm the sprout peeler), chopping parsnips (hopefully there will be no blood loss and swearing), and serving up. So fingers crossed that no plates of food go flying across the room.
I will naturally be posting about my new job as a potato/parsnip/sprout peeler and server- and I wish each and every one of you a very Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year.
I will probably have a full swear box before New Year's Day. In fact, I'm planning on it!
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I love the way you express yourself limerabbit! I can relate in so many ways. Unconsciousness and apathy rule this side of the pond as well. I like you, try to stay away from the masses as it just makes me cross. Very funny about the sprouts. Over here, we beat the hell out of people at Xmas for the latest television set or less. Keeping Christmas in our own way is the way to survive. I don't see much civility in the world anymore...perhaps we are getting old?(: Even so, the best way to go out is with a sense of humour.
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