Anyway, after 2800 miles, 10 states, untold gallons and dollars of gas, angst over weather and roads, accommodations, pretty good andnot so good pretty meals, stress of moving MFOM, and dealing with various illnesses, we finally saw our welcome home sign.
I suppose it might somehow have shown through that aside from seeing our family, this time of year is NOT the feeder’s most joyous season (for a lot of the reasons above). But, but, this year, I found that a little two buck investment brought a nice glow to the cold heart of the feeder.
For two dollars at the “Family Dollar” (however that works) store, I purchased this little cheapy Santa Hat before we left.
I took to wearing it around town as we prepared to leave. What the hell. Amazingly it sort of took on its own magic. For instance, one morning standing in line in Starbucks with a bunch of caffeine deprived grumps in the morning, a look at the hat brought smiles to some. People would say, “I like your hat! Merry Christmas!”, and actually smile. Which made me smile and lifted my spirits some. I didn’t become Santa, but it did make me feel good..
I also wore it on the road on our travels, and some passing autos (those going slow enough to see anything) would occasionally give me a thumbs up. I wore it around St. Louis before Christmas with equal effect. I even wore it to our visit to he sleek and chic Niche (after a couple of glasses of wine) and as we passed the open kitchen, a server awaiting his food said “nice hat!” I got several similar reactions around town.
But the memory that will stick in my mind for a long time was in a gas station/convenience store in the middle of flat corn country in Mount Vernon, Illinois. I was going in to use the facility (as usual), and as I neared the door I noticed a small girl (about three feet) of apparent Hispanic descent on the other side of the glass. As I approached, her eyes got as big as saucers, an astonished look came over her face, and she turned and ran from sight. As I entered, she was dragging her Mom along by the hand yelling “look mommy, look mommy!” and pointing at me. My eyes met Mom’s and we smiled. I said something about an early visit, and wished her a Merry Christmas. And I got one too…best two bucks I’ve ever spent.
So there you have it. A bow is on the 2010 Christmas package. Some highs, some lows, some new things – the Waterfront Tavern in La Crosse, the discovery of Leinenkugel’s “Big Eddy Russian Imperial Stout”; some old – Piggy’s, the Hungrey Peddler, but always unique. Tops is the chance to be with the FOJ’s and families, and seeing some joy in a 95 year old lady’s face who can live on her own again.
Okay, 2011 here we come. Fearless and unafraid, but always
DFD
No comments:
Post a Comment