Twas the Week Before Christmas

It's the week before Christmas. Oh crap! Are you Kidding!

The decorations, the presents, the menu - Get Up! Stop Sitting!

We need to get to the attic, to the woods, to the store!

Yes it needs to be done - plus the wreath for the door!

The children keep asking, "What's the matter?, they say.

"Have you forgotten in a week it will be Christmas Day?"

What will we tell them if we don't manage to get it all done?

"So sorry kids this year Christmas will stink, there's to be no more fun?"

The neighbor's lawn, have you seen it? There are so many lights

When did that happen? When did they? How many nights?

On their windows are bows. On ours? Heaven knows!

We are so behind! So behind! From our heads to our toes.

Where do we start? Should we make a list and a plan?

Or maybe we just book a trip to Japan.

No, that won't do we really need to get ready,

If we don't Christmas dinner will be a pot of spaghetti!

We could start with the presents. Do we know what they want?

And for whom should we buy for, your brother, my aunt?

And the kids, yes the kids, we could get them some games.

For the XBox and Wii - but I don't know the names.

To the stores I will travel. To the stores I will go.

How many to visit I really don't know.

To Target, To Nordstrom, To Macy's, and Old Navy Too!

To the Gap, and to Starbucks, and to the Little House Blue!

To the mall I will go and drive around and around.

Where there will not be a parking spot in the lot to be found!

To the computer I'll try that - now we're really in trouble!

To get it by Christmas we'll have to pay double!

Now go get the tree. Yes, the tree. You can do it!

Please remember the size. Yes, the size. We need one that will fit!

When it comes home let's remember putting it up can be fun.

No screaming, no shouting, or the kids they will run!

Christmas Card picture? Is that what you said?

There's no chance that we have one without eyes that are red!

Get everyone together. We can try one more time.

Matching shirts? Are you joking? It can't be a crime!

Time to go to the attic and get all the stuff.

Unwrap all the bulbs. Give the fake wreath a good fluff.

Wait, what's that in that box? The one over there?

Is that the Santa pillow that goes in the rocking chair?

This week will be crazy! Yes, we've done it again!

Last year we swore we would remember the pain!

We promised to be organized. Not to wait till the last minute!

The chance of that really happening is like the lottery - and we win it!

We'll make it. We'll pull it together. We will!

We'll even be happy until we see the credit card bill!

We'll worry about that later. It may take all year to get over our blight.

For now Happy Christmas to all , and to all a Good Night!

Ho, Ho, HO!
Magda

The Fine Art of Saying No

It has been awhile since I have had the time to write a blog post. It's because it has been awhile since I have had the time to form a complete thought.  Maybe you are familiar with the line in the holiday song, "Deck the Halls"..."Tis' the Season to Be Jolly" HA! Tis' the Season to be Busy!

There is a good possibility that I am not busier than anyone else this time of year. It's the extra added things I have said "Yes" to that have made the past month CRAZY! It is completely possible I am addicted to saying "Yes, sure, I will do that, happy to help." I may in fact be a serial volunteer.

People volunteer for all sorts of reasons:  To give something back to their community, To help others, For Personal Growth, For new and unique experiences, or because when asked they simply cannot say NO. That's me.

19th Century American Humorist Henry Wheeler Shaw, who wrote under the pen name Josh Billings,
once said,

"Half of the troubles of this life can be traced to saying yes too quickly and not saying no soon enough." 

The saying yes thing is the pressure I put on myself. The need to please people maybe, or the desire to not be judged if I simply say, "No". Is it really okay to say no, even if a part of you is going to feel guilty for not helping out? The answer is YES!

I am realizing that just maybe there is truth in the following:

• It's okay to say NO if you would rather relax than go out.
• It's okay to say NO if helping someone else out means you will sacrifice your own needs.
• It's okay to say NO because you don't have the time, even if you don't know right at this moment that whether you will or will not be available in the future.
• It's okay to say NO even if you do not have a detailed excuse. Even if you think you should give one.
• It's even okay to say NO after you have said yes. Especially if you realize you were not being true to yourself.

So starting today I will be practicing the fine art of saying, "NO". Right after I finish helping out with the tea at my daughter's school, give out all the swim team clothing, buy the snacks for next week's meet, and feed my vacationing neighbor's cat.

Fa la la la la,

Magda

To Secede or Not Secede, That is the......Really?

According to Webster's Dictionary the definition of secession is to:
1. withdrawal into privacy or solitude: retirement,
2. formal withdrawal from an organization.
The kids definition: The act of separating from a nation or state and becoming independent. Think Circa 1865.

Fast Forward 147 years and there are petitions from people in all 50 states to secede from the United States of America. An action that I like to call, "I Didn't Get My Way So I am Taking My Ball and Going Home Syndrome"

Leading the way - Texas and men. The state of Texas, "We the People Secession Petition", has over 40,000 signatures. Men have out signed woman 62% to 38%.

Most petitions in all 50 states have the same names. People are becoming serial secessionists - signing petitions via cyber-space all over the country. According to an article found in The Washington Times signing these petitions are giving people a feeling of "unity" as they fight against the "Union".

It all seems to be the ultimate Pity Party.

Have you ever seen the movie Moonstruck? There is a great scene where Cher slaps Nicolas Cage and exclaims, "Snap Out of It!" Find a Serial Secessionists and give them a good slap. At this trying time in our country's journey we should be working as one, What was it Aristotle said? "The whole is more then the sum of it's parts."

C'mon people, time to get your heads out of your, Texas's, roll up your sleeves and start thinking about the big picture. Putting the pieces of this beautiful country back together not breaking it apart even more.

Magda

Labels

Well it's election time. Time to Vote. Time to make big decisions for our country and communities. Time to get labeled.

Everyone is labeled. In an election year these are the most prevalent: Republican, Democrat, Independent, Moderate, Liberal, Conservative, Decided, Undecided, Socialist, Activist, Pacifist, 1%, 99%, 47%, Needy, Wealthy... Ugh!

Have you ever bought a shirt or sweater where the label in the back just rubs against your neck and all day long you itch, twitch and bitch until you can't take it anymore You tug to rip it off or take scissors and clip the darn thing. That's how I feel about all the labels being used during this political season. Enough already!

It seems that at a time when people have lost everything they possess including lives we would stop and remember there are some labels we must always possess: Kind, Compassionate, Tolerant, Courageous.

Regardless the outcome let's hope after Tuesday we all get back to restoring more humane labels. Of course this task will require one of the most precious labels of all: Patient

Respectfully waiting,
Magda