OHVELLO

It's September and it's 2020. The crazy year that threw us all for a loop. Navigating it was alright, we just had to be flexible to flow with how things needed to go as protocols, and regulations changed. But through it all, I craved the simpler, comforting, and cheerful things more than ever. So, it is not surprising that I, who never think about Christmas until late November, am yearning for candlelit nights and cozy blankets while drinking eggnog and watching cheesy movies. There is something about the comfort of being around things that don't change. I don't generally have traditions I adhere to, but I do like those things that calm the soul, emanate peace while bringing cheer and joy. In this crazy topsy-turvy year, some semblance of normal is very welcomed. So, here I am dreaming of Christmas and the nostalgia it brings. In September.

There is something about children and their love for things "over-the-top".  Their exuberance goes unmatched for all that they really care about and enjoy.  No joy goes hidden, and in the same way, anything disliked will also be vociferously mentioned. They just enjoy being themselves. Somewhere along the way, we adults have lost our exuberance for life and joy. Perhaps, we have been beaten down too many times by the storms of life.  Maybe, it is time to regain that which we have lost. Time to stop worrying about what others might think of us, and how we need to act mature and be mature. What does that mean anyway? Does that mean we need to be somber all the time? Serious to the point of never having our lips turn upwards into a smile? Or does that mean that belly-laughing will get us ejected from the adult table during holidays to the lower echelons of the children's table? Why have we stopped dancing along with the butterflies flitting about in the yard? Why have we sto