The Lull

Nemo on couch.jpgWe all feel it, that all too brief lull between holidays.  Our Thanksgiving turkey is now a challenge we serve as hash, or homemade pot pies, or even altered beyond recognition into mouth-watering gumbo.  The family who traveled for hours to visit has gone home, and our houses are dusty around the edges, with new scratches on woodwork from terrorist toddlers on tricycles or family puppies still in training.  The resident dog wonders where all his friends disappeared to, and not even a soft pillow and the television remote can replace the joy of running in circles for hours with Australian shepherd and shih tzu cousins.

But wait.  Lurking just around the corner. . . waiting to pounce. . .  Ah, yes, it’s Christmas.  Or Hanukkah.  Or the winter solstice. . .  No matter your personal theology, winter holidays are nearly here.

So like Nemo, I’m planning to rest up for the next round.  Unlike Nemo, I know that the canine cousins will appear again, that holiday lights will soon be twinkling on our street, that stockings will be hung by the chimney with care.  How wonderful to celebrate together as nights grow longer, as sidewalks become harder to navigate, and dressing for a walk outside takes as long as the walk itself.   This may be a year with fewer gifts under many a Christmas tree, but I hope it will be a year when I remember that “things” are never the point.  This is a season of sharing, of taking stock of what we have and what we can give, of being thankful.

So rest up, Nemo.  The fun will start again.  I, for one, can hardly wait. 

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