December 1: Babbysitters Needed, Eggs and Cheese, New Month

Welcome to December.  Yes, it is the first day of a new month.  The snow is falling outside at the moment, making everything look fresh and white and new.  It's a month of beginnings and endings.  Whenever I enter a new calendar month, I have a sense of renewal and promise.  With December, I feel this promise especially because of the upcoming holidays, the approach of a brand new year.  Anything seems possible as the world goes to sleep and gestates during the winter months.  The seeds planted in the past year get ready for their spring journey toward the sun.

Yes, I'm intentionally trying to be positive and optimistic instead of cranky and exhausted.  My worries have not evaporated.  I didn't suddenly inherit a small fortune from a distant, rich relative.  I didn't get a six-figure advance from a publisher on my next book.  Everything, pretty much, is the same as it was yesterday.  The only thing that has changed is my determination to be positive, at least for the length of this post.

That being said, does anybody have the number of a reliable babysitter?  My wife and I are having a terrible time right now trying to find babysitters.  Last night, we had choir practice at church.  My sister used to come over every Wednesday to watch our kids for the hour we needed to be gone.  She no longer does this favor for us.  (She's dealing with some issues of her own.)  Our niece was babysitting for us on a fairly regular basis for a while, but now she doesn't seem to be getting our phone messages.  I'm starting to think that my children are possessed or something.

We took our children to the church with us for choir practice yesterday evening.  It was hideous.  My son does not like to be trapped in a Sunday School room watching a movie.  He wants to run and create havoc.  I spent half of the choir practice chasing him through the church and dragging him back to the Sunday School room.  We eventually left choir practice early with my son screaming and my daughter crying.

Things didn't improve much when we got home.  Everyone was in a bad mood.  After getting my son to bed, I sat in my chair, put my earbuds in my ears, and listened to Christmas music.  I needed to find my happy place.

A little slice of heaven

It's a little sad when you realize your happy place is being asleep in your chair in the living room.  However, that's when all the noise ceases and I'm able to relax.  When the alarm went off this morning, one of my first thoughts was actually, "In about 17 or 18 hours, I can go back to sleep."

I'm really hungry now.  I have scrambled eggs and cheese waiting for me.  For the next eight or nine hours of my life, I'm going to try to focus on renewal and rejuvenation.

We'll see how that works out for Saint Marty.