Well, it’s possible that I may not be around quite so much over the coming week and, so, I thought I’d just take a few moments to — without the irreverent humour you might be expecting, my hand very firmly on my heart — wish you an enjoyable and safe holiday season. Whatever you do or don’t believe, whether you choose to mark the period in any significant way or not, remember that, as our dead friend George Carlin put it, “Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.”
Such moments exist all around us. They occur every day. They are there in the smile on a small child’s face, in the patterns of steam rising through sunlight from a coffee cup, or a lone tree standing in the middle of a field — the sunlight setting behind it. They speak to us with the unforgettable rhythm of a steadily beating heart.
For me, this time of year is in many ways no more special than any other. I try to acknowledge the wonders around me every day of the year. Nevertheless, the season provides us with an unmissable opportunity. Acknowledge and embrace the simple wonder of family, friends and basic human kindness. It’s there, believe me. Sometimes, admittedly, you have to look very, very hard. But it’s there. Trust me, I’m a writer.
So look — look and gasp in wonder not only at the presents you receive, but also at the simple, amazing fact that, yes, we are still here… with a capacity to love, understand and appreciate.
Finally, for those of you reading Tomorrow Will Come and It Will Be Just Like Today, I have a small gift. I was going to hold fire with it — but what the hell. It is Christmas (or whatever), after all!
Click here for Chapter Three of Tomorrow Will Come and It Will Be Just Like Today. (Chapters One and Two available here.)
Enjoy, keep warm (or, for those south of the equator, keep cool) and stay safe.
© 2008 Gary William Murning