 I know, I know...I promised "100 Days of Happy". This time of year, however, can be very stressful regardless of the fact that the radio touts, "It's the most wonderful time of the year" (I swear, if they play that song one more time and I'm near a firearm...). On Saturday, my husband took me out to lunch when he got home from class, and asked what our plans were for the day. I decided to do something spontaneous, because he is often encouraging me to be more spur of the moment. I suggested we go Christmas shopping, thinking maybe since there weren't a lot of crowds out yet it might be romantic and fun. He sighed at my suggestion, then fired a series of questions: "Do we have a plan? Where are we going? What were you wanting to buy? Do you know who all is on the list?", all of which I had no answer for. My repeated, "I don't knows" only made him more frustrated which led to one doozie of a fight! I started to cry, making his mood more black, and I withdrew into that shell I like to hide in when I don't know what else to do. We sat in stoney silence for quite awhile in the Staples parking lot where we'd gone to look for Christmas cards. As he stared out his window and I did the same out mine, he reached over and touched my leg. "I'd rather be here fighting with you than doing anything else with anyone else in the world," he said quietly. And just like that, the fight gave way to a step off the battleground and into sincere apologies. Afterwards, he spit on a tissue and wiped my smudged mascara tenderly from my cheeks. We made a plan together and salvaged our shopping adventure into something productive. We missed the "romantic" mark by a mile, but still managed pleasant, which was quite a feat! Today I am happy I have a partner in my life who looks at me and sees someone he doesn't want to give up on, even when giving up would be easier. I am thankful for an event that was a potent reminder that sometimes it takes work to keep the "reason for the season" in our hearts. The "magic" of this time of year often doesn't just happen...it requires us to work the "spells" that create it...patiently, kindly, one tender, loving word at a time. 
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About The Author
I grew up in rural North Carolina. When I was only nineteen, I moved away and became a military wife. My only aspiration at that tender time in my life was to create an adult life that "fixed" all of the "injustices" of my childhood. Secretly, however, I wanted to reach for the sky! I wanted to be a writer and find ways to "save the world" (my mother used to say, "You have Save the World Syndrome".). Mostly, I wanted to matter. Archives
August 2021
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