My Holiday Break
I am a word girl. I could write and write and write some more. In the perfect world, there would be extra hours in the day, time enough to do everything I want to do, write everything I want to write, and fully. In the perfect world, I would never be racing, never feel rushed. If only. The truth, the wonderful truth I am realizing, is that I inhabit the real world, a world where hours and days are not unlimited, but finite, a world where seasons change and kids grow and decisions must be made.
You see the three creatures above? They are my girls. I snapped this shot on a poetic day earlier this month when we went looking for a tree. We went to the stand in front of the American Museum of Natural History where Husband and I celebrated our wedding exactly eight years ago today. Eight years and three little ladies later, here we are. Tonight, after a celebratory dinner out, Husband and I will go back to the museum and sit on the front steps by the big pine dinosaurs and we will cuddle in the cold and talk. About the marvel of time, the magic of the season, the life we have made.
Back to Tree Day. What strikes me now, looking back to that Saturday morning, is that there were so many trees, so many choices, but we had to decide. And we did. We picked a beauty and Husband carried it home on his shoulder, we, his Rowley girls, trailing behind. And now that tree is up, standing tall, aglow with color and lights and life, topped with a silly and floppy and perfect Santa hat. Around it, we've gathered night after night, for some goofy, giddy, dance party fun.
We decided on that tree, our tree, and it's a wonder. And now it's time to decide again. My girls are about to be on holiday break. They will be home with us. And as tempted as I am to write and post and ponder and process, as tempted as I am to cling to my words, my instinct, abiding and overwhelming, is to press that good old glittery pause button, to soak up this season with them, to make cookies, to read books, to dance around a big, happy tree with my girls and my guy.
And so that's it. My decision. I will have a holiday break too. This is not easy for me - I love this place, this cozy and cathartic world of words - but it is good for me. It is indeed time to stop and savor, to just breathe, to just be.
Before I go, I will leave you with a picture of my trio from each month of this very good year. I has so much fun looking through all of my pictures from 2012 and seeing how my sweet girls have grown. I also had a lot of fun sifting through the year's posts and have included my month-by-month Wine-Free Bits along with my very favorite Life Bits, Love Bits, and Writing Bits from the past twelve months in the sidebar to the right for your perusing pleasure.
Anyway, it's high time to go enjoy this self-imposed holiday vacay. But first: my little ladies...
