Ok...mini-rant....Lately on the news (or so I'm told as I rarely watch it) they have been discussing saying "Happy Holidays" versus "Merry Christmas" because not everyone celebrates Christmas. I agree with them and have done so for many years without prompting. It's just basic courtesty. Not to mention very ethnocentric to assume that everyone is just like you and has the same beliefs. Prehaps my open mindedness comes from the fact that I am not a Christian. Yes, I do 'celebrate' Christmas with my family. I exchange presents and eat dinner with them, but I celebrate Yule on the 21st with my fellow Pagans. So it really grinds me that everyone in my office(note: they are all over the age of 50, so it may be a generational thing) is not only saying "Merry Chistmas" but doing it pointedly and specifically in opposition of this new suggestion. That is just plain ignorant. Thank the gods that the holiday season is almost over with so I won't have to listen to it for another year.

So to you and yours, have a Happy ChristaHannaKwansaYule. Oh...and a Happy New Year!

Inspire and be inspired.

I'm afraid that's easier said than done most days. I would like to think that I inspire someone, somewhere, every so often.

Getting inspired, on the other hand, seems a little more difficult these days. Well, that's not entirely true. Doing something, when feeling inspired, is more the problem. For instance, whenever I go to a concert(which is at least once a month - check out this series, it great! www.backroadshouseconcerts.com), I feel the desire to write. Watching other artist present their creations, make me want to create. So there I sit, with a running monologue in my mind, which could, quite often, end up as the opening chapter of a novel. And then I leave, go home, and if I'm still awake enough, I try to recreate what was in my head. It's never the same. I often wonder what I could produce if I could just dictate what's in my mind as it happens, or better yet, type in on my laptop. But, that would be rude wouldn't it? To sit and type during the middle of a performance. Not only are you not paying attention, you're also being noisy. It just seems that if I don't capture that inspiration the moment it hits, I lose it completely. Even when it comes to blogging. Something will come up that I want to rant about in the evening and by morning(I only have internet access at work...shhhh!), the thoughts just aren't as passionate. They don't flow as comprehensively, and I sit staring at a mess of words, or worse yet, a blank screen.

Perhaps this is just a severe case of writer's block, well, artist's block, since I really don't want to pick up a camera either. Let's just hope it's fleeting. I would hate to think that I'll have to live with this frustration forever.

This morning I was diving through town and I saw them putting up the frame for the ice tree and the starting of the outdoor ice-rink. Talk about nostalgia.

I remember learning to skate on that rink. It was only 8 blocks from the house I grew up in, so we spent a lot of time there in the winter. I remember skating at night, under the lights, with the snow falling and music playing over the PA. Ahh...memories. I'm not even sure I own a pair of skates anymore.

Watching all of this going on, I had to stop and wonder when, exactly, did I grow up? When did I lose that child-like awe? I still enjoy the magic of a gentle snowfall on a winters night. But, instead of throwing on a pair of skates, I appreciate it for two minutes, and then continue on with life. I suppose I'm better than most since, at the very least, I even notice it's going on and admire it's beauty. It's sad though, the loss of innocence. The leaving behind of things out-grown. On mornings like this, it makes you appreciate the few friends who, not only let you act like a kid, but encourage it and play right along side of you.

Hmmm...well, that says alot. My last post was warning about Mercury's retrograde, and I'm starting this post by stating that it goes direct tomorrow. Thank the gods!

On to the reason for posting!

There is a glare on my monitor. Normally this would drive me nuts, but today it means the sun is shining. In Northern Michigan, during the winter, this is a rarity. Last night we had our first major snow fall which resulted in the first snowday of the school year. I love winter. I know, I'm sure you'll all remind me of this when I complain about the cold a month from now, but I do. I love the magical feeling that the fresh snow gives to everything. I love sitting inside, all warm, watching the snow fall. I love driving in four-wheel-drive. I love fish-tailing. I love improptu snowball fights in parking lots. I love taking the kids sledding. How can people not love winter?