To say I’m a simple person would be the furthest thing from the truth.  I’m far from simple.  I do however love and embrace the beautiful simple everyday things that transform my life into a blessing.

I write this now as I return from a run.  A run I desperately needed because running outside allows me to step away from my brain and just breathe.  It allows me to connect with something much greater than myself and re-fire my circuitry. It also gives me a quiet space to gather my thoughts and make sense of them. And today has been a struggle bus as my daughter would say.

I really needed this run.

As I was coming into the home stretch of said much needed run I realized that I was also coming into the home stretch of the holiday season (that part leading up the grand finale of it all). I looked around at all the beauty I soak up during my runs; the beautiful blue sky, the sun, the tall grasses in the marsh, the babbling brook to the left, the horses on the right, the sound of the geese flying south, the slightly chilly wind on my face and the abundant wild life that lingers on the winding trail, I asked myself, “why does there need to be a short holiday season once a year.  A small window of time in which we celebrate the holidays?  Shouldn’t we be celebrating peace, love and joy all year round?”

It’s the same every year; the holiday season kicks off with our giving thanks, then gifts and from there onto bracing ourselves for a new year.  One we typically hope will be more than the one we are currently closing out. And then, it’s back to business as usual for most of us until November rolls around again.

Now, I’m certainly not trying to down play the magic of the season and all things celebrated.  I love the spiritual rituals from around the world, especially those celebrating peace and love.  I also dig the symbolic warmth and comfort things we enjoy and associate with the holidays during the official season.  But sometimes it feels canned.  A one-size-fits all approach to compartmentalize the holiday season.

It just feels like a whole lot of jam-packing life’s beautiful gifts to be treasured into a very small window of time.  I get the “holiday season” and the “holidays” refer to the time from November until the first of January (in which many holidays around the world are celebrated). But a holiday can also be a special day to celebrate…outside of said season.  So why have a designated holiday season?

I believe that every day we wake up is truly a day to celebrate therefor every single day should be a holiday.  For each and every day holds so many gifts for us to celebrate. They may not always be the same from day-to-day but each and every day has something for us to celebrate; the love of our child, the sun shining bright, the sound of the first winter snow when the city is asleep and you are the only outside letting the flakes land on your tongue, a day you are healthy, a day your love wakes up next to you, a delicious cappuccino that you get to drink while everyone else is asleep, a glass of wine, someone to share a glass of wine with, a friend you can count on, a beautiful flower just blooming in spring, the smell of rain traveling on the winds of a summer day, the sights and sounds of a rushing river on an endless journey, a reliable car, the songs of crickets outside the city limits, a roof over your head, a day on the beach, a night in the mountains, the stars above, the beckoning call of a loon,  a wonderful new book to read, the eyesight to read said book with, a warm sweater when it’s cold, food on the table, a means to purchase food, The sound of a baby crying…when odds were against it ever doing so, a new pair of shoes, an old pair of shoes – companions you could never part with, music, the sound of crunchy autumn leaves crackling under foot while on a hike, a humming bird outside your window, a handwritten note received in the mail, watching a child chase a frog, making hobo pies with your friends, feeling the wind tickle your face, falling in the snow, falling in love, a blanket to snuggle up in, a printer that works when you really need it to, the sounds of birds singing in the woods, a day on a trail, two feet for walking, the strength to run, a slice of cake, a handmade scarf, something that made you laugh, tears of joy, learning something new, the ability to remember the things you learned, the taste of ice cream, making ice cream, seeing a snowman in the window with an antique typewriter, beautiful soft linen, a phone conversation with a best friend, a phone to call with, a grandparent to play cards with, a parent to talk to, the best ever soft socks sans any holes, needle and thread in case there are, a song to be heard, a song you can sing,  a voice,  someone in your life that loves you to no end, hands that can write, hands that can hold…and hands that hold yours, a mind that still works and a heart that keeps beating…Just to name a few.

So this is my holiday greeting to you, 365 days of it; the peace, the joy, the good will to all, the giving thanks, the glitter, the lights, the magic, the special meals that allow us to pause together, the time off or travel to spend with those we love.  May you not only have these things but may you also see these things every single day of the year, every single day of your life and may you have the awareness and wherewithal to celebrate them as the beautiful gifts they are and treat each and every day as a holiday.

I am,
The Urban Mountaineer

I am not a blogger per se much less a writer.  No, not even close.  I just post things here now and then on this platform I call my space, The Urban Mountaineer.  It’s my way to share fractal bits and pieces of me with anyone who cares to read about them.