Thoughts on what is important

Comment on the Board Game Post: You seem to be missing "Life"

My reaction: Finally someone identifies what it is that I ponder while sitting in the dark late at night.

It is Christmas Eve, large portions of the country have snow on the ground, NORAD is tracking Santa and I am going to try to remove my sarcastic hat for a little bit. This is a major challenge as sarcasm is my main defense against this world to the point that people can't tell the difference between my sarcasm and my honesty any more. Earlier this week I joked that I was in the hunt to be cast in the fourth season of Beauty and the Geek and people believed it. I'm not sure what worried me more a) the fact that people thought I qualified as a contestant, b) the fact that people thought I was the type of guy who would apply for the show or c) that no one can tell where the cynicism stops and the honest begins. None of those are pleasant thoughts.

Still, this is the time of the year when you have to do your best to view the world in a sense of snow covered innocence. I've mentioned it before but one of the reasons I love the snow is that it covers all of the imperfections of the world with a white sheen. Everything becomes clean and pure. horrible to drive on and a pain to shovel, but there is a serenity to the scene. A serenity that adds to the heart of the day.

Here is what I love about the Christmas story. It is a story of God entering the world not as an adult but as a helpless child born in the simplest, basic, almost downtrodden environment. It is not a story of God entering as a heroic leader, or as a fiery avenger, or even a wise prophet. It is a story of an innocent child entering the world in a stable with nothing but a loving family surrounding him.

And that is what the day is about. Surrounding yourself with a loving family. All of the stories about people stuck at the airport trying to get home for the holidays showcase how important it is to be with the people you love on this day. No one is willing to sleep at O'Hare in order to get a Best Buy gift card but people will willingly do so just to be together for this one day a year. As much as we might have issues within our families they are still the people who will love you unconditionally. The people who will pick you up at your lowest point and remind you of your best self. We do not take enough time in our lives to remember this; it all gets caught up in the noise of every day life. But at least one day of the year we try to thank each other for all of the good that they do for us every day of the year. And I wish I could bottle up the feeling and keep it near me at all times. It would help me through a lot of dark nights.

So I sincerely (and yes, I can be sincere) wish everyone a very Merry Christmas. Enjoy the day with the ones you love and cherish the moments that you have. Because life is a precious thing that should not be wasted or missed. We do too much of that as it is.