waiting for daylight

I think it's pretty ironic, in a Louise Hay sort of way, that the day after I said - I have nothing to say, I caught a cold and lost my voice... I've been taking it easy, listening more than talking, resting a little bit, and working a little bit, but only on new things that interest me. I have no idea if anyone will want anything I'm making. I'll find out soon enough.

I've been wondering what it might be like to work at Walmart, and to never ever buy anything there. Take the minimum wage and "back-door it" every night, as we used to say at Harrah's. Did you know that one of my many careers was as a cocktail waitress at Harrah's Tahoe? True story. For eight years. Lots of sub-plots to go along with that one, but the point here is, lots of people who worked the clubs would hang out after work, spending money, and sometime entire paychecks, at the bars and tables. To "back-door it" meant to literally head out the back door, past the loading dock, and straight to the parking lot and home. I hated that job for the most part. These days, when I ponder the worst that could happen, I think it would be a job at Walmart, where I've refused to shop for the last three years. If it comes to that, I sure hope they have a back door.

But this is a week for rest and festivity and openness to inspiration. I'm up at 5AM, the day after a lovely little Christmas, listening to the wind howl as it tosses another storm our way, and waiting for daylight. The metaphor is clear. Lots of people are waiting for daylight these days, and lots of storms will still blow in while we wait.

While the snow dances outside, we're fortunate enough to keep warm inside - in our houses, in our selves. We had just the small and meaningful Christmas we were hoping for. Karena came to stay here for a few days, feeling literally buried in snow out at her earthship. So we started the party on Christmas Eve Eve, as we used to call it when we were kids. Rather than blather on about every little detail of our holiday celebration, I'll just say it was wonderful, and still is actually. It's cold and stormy outside, but in here it's warm and filled with light. There's only a small cast of characters this year - Rick and me, the dogs, Karena, Julia, and Deborah & Thomas. This year the emphasis was less on gifts and more on just being together. We traded presents for presence, and I have to say, it was a good trade. I will mention one particularly wonderful gift though, and that's the poetry book that Thomas wrote, printed, and constructed for family and friends. It's called "Women & Other Dreams", and it's so perfectly beautiful in every way, filled with poems and photographs and heart. Great heart.

So, here's a little slide show. You can figure out things like snow and walks and silly girl time with nail polish. Hmmm... maybe I won't have to work at Walmart. Maybe I'll start a new career as a manicurist. Anyway, Merry Christmas, Happy Solstice, Peace, Love, and Light. The last week of the year is always kind of nice I think. Enjoy it. Look back. Look forward. And then sit right where you are and be in that place. If it seems too dark, don't worry. Daylight will come again.