mulberryshoots

I’ve been shopping for groceries and wrapping presents this week because family will be visiting from out of town next week. As I surveyed the bags of groceries in the front entryway and the wrapped gifts upstairs, I thought to myself about all the stuff we lug around with us during the holidays. Plus the cartons of kitchen things waiting to be brought up to the cottage to feed everybody, including Josie, the baby and guest of honor.

So, I started taking things out that I thought I might need, because nobody but me cares about which dishes or glasses we use. Really, they don’t. And the fewer there are to wash up, the better, don’t you think? I had also discarded the boxes things came in and wrapped soft things, rolled up with those nice printed tissue papers in red and green. At the craft shop today, looking for yarn needles because my solitary one keeps disappearing just when I’m finishing things up, I saw they had a special on four spools of moss green and burgundy ribbon for a dollar. They will dress up the small cream/red poinsettias and chocolate covered cookies meant for families here along with cards containing good cheer.

A friend wrote to me yesterday that two people close to her have died. We are both around the ages of those who passed, older than one, in fact, and it reminded me of how tender an age some of us have reached. Along with that, my back is feeling a little stiff after moving some heavy things last weekend. It’s still okay, but I am reminded that it’s probably a good idea to slow down a bit, and to lighten the load–both physically with things around me and especially mentally with all the excitement of preparing for Christmas and visits with family.

So, I think I reached the apogee of preparing for Christmas in the last couple of days. And it feels good to slide back a little, and to recalibrate myself to move more lightly, the rest of the way.

And, how are you doing?