'Tis the Season...

Today is my Friday. I will be off work from tomorrow through Tuesday, returning next Wednesday for a 3 day work week and then a 3 day weekend for the New Year. Taylor is staying with us til he goes back to school so some of what I hoped to do during this long weekend will probably not get accomplished, but then other things can be accomplished. Taylor is always willing to do anything his grandmother asks so I'm sure some of the chores in the garage will get done, which is a very good thing.

We have some fun stuff planned for the holidays, not the least of which is downtime. Tomorrow I will bake cookies and maybe work in my studio for a while. I need to do some organizing and cleaning in there -- so it is ready for me to work in. I feel a large painting coming on. I have a 60" x 40" canvas waiting to be painted and I think I will start it sometime over this holiday period. I haven't decided yet whether to do it in oil or acrylic. I'm attracted to both for this particular painting.

Saturday morning I will pick up the ham for Sunday evening and bring it to Shannon's, then go to Sangha. I think Michael and I will be the only Board members in town this weekend. Sunday night we will spend xmas eve at Shannon's with our special group of people. Sunday and Monday we have NO plans, and intend to keep it that way. Perhaps a movie, studio time and relaxation with friends is in order. The weekend of New Year's eve has us with a dinner date with our sangha friends and a viewing of the Bill Moyers interview with Pema Chodron. No plans for the eve, just us - our favorite way to shed a past year and welcome in a new one.

New Years morning will find us at our KTC center celebrating First Light with our sangha. It's a lovely practice and we follow it with a pot luck brunch at the center.

All in all, the next 11 days has space for a balanced mix of quiet time, family, friends, socializing, practice, creative time and work. I'm ready for it. I'm feeling better than I was earlier in the week. Perhaps is it just the effects of that brownie I ate 20 minutes ago...