Talking to the Owl

Children are so surprising.  We just returned from the Alliance Francais Christmas party and my little patriot was transformed magically into a fairy princess by Santa Claus.  Thanks Santa Claus!

They had Christmas presents for the children and they were picked out by age and gender, so she got a little princess costume.  A couple of days ago, she threw a temper tantrum when I mentioned wearing a dress.  Well, I was threatening to make her wear a dress if she didn’t pick out some pants and a long-sleeve shirt to wear, but nevermind.  Now after Santa Claus gave her a fairy outfit to wear and to my delight, she is happily spinning around like a little ballerina, turning her mother and I into frogs.

I don’t know if she’ll ask me to enroll her yet in a ballet class, but the fairy costume is certainly entertaining.  She gave me a good spin and so I know she likes to dance. Anyways, I love ballet as an art and it would be fun to watch her learn it.  She’s warmed up to fairy ballerinas since we listened to the Nutcracker together yesterday, and was very interested to learn about the Rat King and how Clara bashed him with her slipper and saved the prince.

Yes, that is a thick layer of lip gloss mixed with chocolate cake on her face.  My wife had the good sense to toss the body glitter and the fingernail polish.  When she asked me what it was, I lied and told her it was stuff for coloring.   

Having a four-year-old really makes Christmas fun.  The line between reality and fantasy is so blurry in their little minds.  Even though we don’t make a big deal of Christmas of Santa Claus, she is just fascinated with idea.  All the way back to the car, she kept asking me why Santa lands on people’s roofs?  Because he needs to get to many houses and go down the chimney give the kids presents.  Do we have a chimney?  No.  Why don’t we have a chimney?  Because we don’t have a fireplace.  Then Santa won’t come to our house?  Yes, he’ll come through the door, but we have to make sure Teton doesn’t scare him away…

Summer’s gone too soon.  On Friday we were on the beach, kicking the water with bare feet one last time.  The water was still and warm and even the breeze felt like summer.  Every time I walk along the beach, I wonder why I don’t do it more often. 

The trees in the distance were just starting to spot gold and red.  Days are warm, but the nights are cool.  I can smell the dusty oak smell of the woods through the open windows as I lie in bed.  Little Sylvia’s now 4 years old and her sister looks at me with big eyes and smiles.  Time passes its sweetness and loss as I wonder where it all went.

Just today we tagged our tree for Christmas.  I felt a little silly to do something Christmas so soon, but we’ll be busy all October and come November the trees will be all taken.  As it was, only three of perhaps ten lots were open and they only had Douglas Fir.

I can say as I look back, I’m just really happy.  It was nice to have a whole weekend spent with the family - no fencing, no yoga, no drumming class.  It’s funny how easily happiness comes when I just simplify my life by letting stuff happen and stop thinking and wanting this or that experience or thing.

It’s strange for me to on one hand to note that I’m happiest when I just experience life, and then on the other, feel guilty for not having a set of goals.  I guess that is just my mind at work, always afraid of being bored, always afraid that if I just live life, then I’m somehow missing out on some opportunity and I’ll look back in ten years and wonder why I’ve wasted so much of my life.  When I look at the photos and see how happy everyone is, I see how silly that thinking is.  Time with my peeps is never wasted.