Post Holiday Blues

So yesterday I was walking through the mall - first time I'd been to any store since before Christmas. I found myself rather disillusioned. It felt like we spend so much time getting ready for Christmas and then after 24 hours, it's back to life as usual. Spend, spend, spend. Did you know that Mastercard was open on Christmas day? Why?? Who wants to be dealing with bills on Christmas day?? Isn't that the day we are supposed to take off? I find it disheartening that the retail stores open so early on Boxing day. We get such a small window of time to spend with our families and now we expect those who work in retail to be up at the crack of dawn to pander to the masses looking for a good deal.

For me, it was a little different. We went to Troy's parents' place on Christmas eve and then had my family to our place on Christmas day. On Boxing day, I woke up and said to myself "I don't want to do anything today!" and I didn't. Other than getting on the elliptical for half an hour, I spent the day in my jammies hanging out with my family. On Saturday, we went to the country to Troy's parents' place again. Then yesterday, I ventured back into the world of retail. I actually got to rest and spend time with my family. It felt great.

I am also working on a song. One of the holiday specials we watched this year (another thing I love doing!) was the making of Songs of Joy and Peace - Yo Yo Ma's new album. The documentary was fascinating. There was the most amazing quote, which I immediately said to Troy, "I wish I had written that down!" So I went online the next day trying to track down video clips to see if I could find the quote. In the process I found a contest that Yo Yo Ma is running where he has recorded the cello line for Dona Nobis Pacem and wants people to record their versions along with it & submit them. So I was musing over what I wanted my submission to encompass. This actually came to me while walking disillusioned through the mall. Dona Nobis Pacem means "Give Us Peace." So I have juxtaposed this peaceful music with the sounds of war. I think this is the dichotomy we feel - we want peace in a world that is racked with war and unrest. I hope that I have captured it well. I'll try and post it once it's all done.

In the meantime, I hope that you found some rest and peace during this Christmas season and that you have hope for the coming year. Once I find the quote from the documentary, I'll share that too.